Jasper considers using leftover COVID-19 dollars on child-care strategy
Jasper Municipal Council may opt to use $24,000 from the COVID relief reserve to develop a child-care strategy.
The strategy would examine the current role of the municipality in the provision of child care, identify gaps in child care within Jasper compared to the other communities and look at the potential approval of family day homes.
At council's committee of the whole meeting on July 27, two recommendations were presented to provide council with a more systemic look at local child care.
The first recommendation was that the committee recommend council to approve the use of $24,000 from the reserve to develop a community strategy.
The second recommendation was that council undertake advocacy to encourage the province of Alberta to join the national Early Learning and Child Care plan.
“The world of early learning and child care has been fraught with tensions in Canada for as long as I can remember,” said Kathleen Waxer, director of community and family services.
Waxer also stated that it has taken a great deal of time to understand that early childhood educators are educators and not babysitters.
The next tension is the affordability of quality care.
The bulk cost of child care is in the staffing.
The cost of an infant in child care is approximately $16,000, which is almost the equivalent to a year at university, making affordability a challenge.
The other major question is whether the parents or government should pay the cost.
During the pandemic, more families are struggling to afford the fees of early child care.
Administration had discussed three different concepts when coming up with recommendations to committee regarding how they could use the $24,000.
The first was an idea to create a new subsidy tier. The idea was to enhance the provincial system that is already in place to assist more families.
But the Alberta government had come up with a similar idea after the report was published.
The second concept that was explored was a fixed discount to the families that are already using the child-care services at Wildflowers.
This could support 52 families for six months, saving $75-100 per child each month.
The final option that was explored was whether the $24,000 dollars might be invested in developing the strategy that was mentioned earlier and taking a more systemic approach to child-care related issues within the community.
Ultimately, the final concept is what administration landed on as their recommendation to council as the best utilization of the funds.
Coun. Jenna McGrath said she was in agreement with the recommendations and felt that the $24,000 could have a longer lasting impact if used in the right place.
She also agreed that council should advocate for the province to join the nationwide early childhood learning and child-care plan as soon as possible.
Mayor Richard Ireland then asked if $24,000 was the right amount to spend.
Lisa Daniel, childcare services manager, stated that she reached out to a few consultants in the area, and the ideal is around $23,000 to $35,000.
Committee recommended council approve the use of $24,000 from the COVID relief reserve to develop a community child-care strategy and that committee recommend council undertake advocacy to encourage the province of Alberta to join nationwide early learning and child-care plan ASAP.
Mayor Ireland then changed the wording of the motion to say that committee recommend that council approve the use of $24,000 from that portion of the COVID relief reserve previously allocated to provide subsidies to users of municipal child-care services.
With the amendment in place, all councillors were in favour and the motion was carried.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.