Edmonton daycare centre shut down over concerns of unsupervised children
An Edmonton daycare has been shut down after failing to address concerns about unsupervised children, the province said Thursday.
A news release from the province says Willowbrae Academy West Point Centre, on 99 Avenue and 175 Street, was suspended and placed on a probationary licence after "a number" of non-compliances.
Child Care Licensing worked with the operators in an effort to help them resolve the issues.
However, when the probationary licence expired on Wednesday, the province said the location's suspended licence was not reinstated due to ongoing concerns and "unaddressed non-compliances involving unsupervised children."
Caregivers for the 187 children who attended the daycare were told about the closure in person on Wednesday.
The province says those not told in person will be notified by email.
The interior of Willowbrae Academy West Point Centre is seen in an undated photo from the facility's website. (willowbraechildcare.com)Luis Rivas, whose three-year-old attended the daycare, says the announcement caught him off guard as he and his family had never encountered any issues with the facility.
"The daycare informed us that they were on a probation period for three months, (and that) the probation period was coming to an end this week. We were getting email communications on how things were developing and there were good signs.
"They had a licence to operate with 202 kids, that was the capacity, so the communication was they were going to reinstate the licence but at a reduced capacity, so 110 (kids) instead, so they cut it by half."
Rivas says while some of the parents were then notified that they'd have to find childcare elsewhere due to the reduction in capacity, he and his wife were unaffected, and that nothing would change for them.
"Then yesterday, when we came to pick up the kids – my wife actually came to pick them up – there was six officers from child services here shutting it down," he said.
"A lot of parents will be in a tricky spot, especially now with the demand for daycares – there's not that many openings.
"I've reached out to multiple facilities, and nobody has openings; there's long waitlists – even a year-out from today."
Rivas says he ended up getting his child into a downtown daycare he had previously used, but it's not as close to their home or very convenient to get to.
He says he was told by the daycare he'd be reimbursed for a portion of October's childcare fees.
Rivas' kid had only been attending Willowbrae since Aug. 1.
The province says the daycare has 30 days to request an administrative review, alternative dispute resolution or an appeal.
Anyone with concerns about a childcare program in their community or needing to report an incident can do so by calling Child Care Connect toll-free at 1-844-644-5165.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live election results: Harris to make first public statement following defeat
Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory.
Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
Read the full transcript of Donald Trump's victory speech
The former U.S. president and now president-elect addressed a crowd of supporters at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., shortly after 2:30 a.m. EST, Wednesday morning.
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
4 ways in which Donald Trump's election was historic
Donald Trump's election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to be president.
What might Donald Trump's election win mean for Canadians
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris concedes election to president-elect Donald Trump
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris has conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump.
Kingston, Ont. doctor fighting OHIP clawback of $660K in pandemic vaccination payments
A Kingston doctor is in a dispute with the Ontario Ministry of Health, which is trying to clawback more than $600,000 in OHIP payments.