VICTORIA – Local families in Campbell River will soon be able to access 98 new licensed child-care spaces thanks to an almost $1 million investment through the Province’s Child Care Major Capital Funding Program, announced New Democrat MLA for North Island, Claire Trevena.

“For years, the child-care crisis in B.C. has been getting worse, not better,” said MLA Trevena. “Our government is committed to changing that, beginning with these 98 new spaces that will start to make a real difference for families in Campbell River.”

This investment includes $500,000 to the Cape Mudge Day Care, $101,375 to the Qwallayuw Aboriginal Head Start program, $197,275 to the Little Fry Daycare, and $167,738 to the Christian Life Children’s Centre.

This investment will allow child-care providers to:

• Build a new child-care facility, including the cost of buying land or a building.
• Purchase and assemble a modular building and develop a site.
• Renovate an existing building.
• Buy eligible equipment (including playground equipment) and furnishings as part of the above activities to support new child-care spaces in an existing facility.

The Province is now in the process of working with child-care providers to sign project agreements that include the specific requirements that providers have identified for each site, such as the need to lease or buy property, obtain local zoning permits and hire contractors to renovate the sites.

Accelerating the creation of new child-care spaces is part of the B.C. government’s commitment to improve accessibility for families and supports its long-term goal of implementing universal child care in B.C. For more information, please visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare.