Kenora City Council to vote on closure of city-run child care

The city of Kenora is considering closing their city-run child care centre. Mayor Dave Canfield wants to close the city-run child care programs including the Castle of Learning Children's Discovery Centre and the city-run before-and-after school. This closure will affect 200 children - 24 child care sports and 180 before-and-after school children. Approximately 180 parents will be affected and 17 full-time and 13 part-time & casual workers will lose their jobs.

Wait lists in Kenora are lengthy, like the rest of Ontario, and parents can wait up to 18 months for a spot for infants.

If Kenora closes the city-run child care programs the 180 parents have nowhere to go. Parents will be forced to make hard choices about continuing to participate in the workforce.

Shannon Bailey, a parent with a full-time spot in a child care program, states "I'll be put in a position where I have to choose between being in the workforce and being at home with my child. Obviously, my first preference would be being at home with my child if that was affordable to us, but both my husband and I need to be participating in the workforce."

100 parents and supporters have rallied and are protesting the closure of the city-run programs. Councillors vote on Monday August 13 on whether or not to terminate city-run child care programs for January 1, 2013.

To read the Coalition’s letter to the mayor urging reconsideration, click here.