Ottawa’s $10-a-day Early Learning and Childcare Program was designed to ease the financial burden on families, but in Alberta — and across the country — it has (predictably) turned into a nightmare for childcare operators and families.The Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs (AACE) is urging the Alberta government to find a way out before it’s too late. Just three years into the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, childcare operators are facing unprecedented financial strain, with many on the brink of closure. What was promised as affordable and accessible child care has instead become a government-driven disaster threatening to collapse Alberta's childcare system.Ottawa’s mismanagement of the program has come under fire. Last month, the Auditor General of Canada announced that he is planning an audit of the program — a welcome development in the eyes of many childcare operators.“I think people are frustrated,” AACE chair Krystal Churcher said. “I’m frustrated.” But, will anything actually come of it? And if it does, will it be too late anyway?Operators like Sarah Hunter, who runs The Imagination Tree Childcare Centre in Calgary, are drowning in debt. Rent hikes, skyrocketing food costs, and frozen fees have made the $10-a-day program unsustainable. “We’re facing closure,” she says, echoing the concerns of many others in the sector. A lack of oversight and planning from Ottawa has left operators with little choice but to consider opting out.The words “I’m from Ottawa and I’m here to help” have evoked a certain sense of dread amongst Albertans for generations. That’s because we’ve been going through this for decades. The story is always the same.The federal government comes to Alberta with promises of a social utopia where they will create a perfect society filled with their sunny disposition — and then, once they’ve raided our coffers — fails to deliver on its promises.Churcher is fired up: “You want a sustainable system that provides niche programming that supports all of your child’s needs — that is not a discount service,” she says. “Those are things that cost money.”That’s a message that the prime minister has been ignoring for years. Justin Trudeau once famously even said that “budgets balance themselves.” They don’t.And so, once again, Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all approach has failed to account for the diverse needs of provinces, particularly Alberta.Childcare is provincial jurisdiction, so Ottawa’s utopian (or dystopian, depending on how you look at it) childcare dreams rely on the agreement signed by former Premier Jason Kenney in 2021. The federal government has not delivered on its promises.The provincial government, now under the leadership of Danielle Smith, has stepped up to attempt to fill funding gaps caused by the federal program.In February, the province made key changes to the funding grant system.Operators will now receive 80% of their affordability grants and subsidies at the start of March, instead of waiting five to ten days after the end of the month. The remaining amount will be paid after they submit their financial information.It helps, but at the end of the day, the system is so tragically broken that it doesn’t solve the problem. The program has trapped operators in a difficult position. If operators choose to leave or can't access the program, their employees lose wage top-ups and low-income families lose subsidies. Without those subsidies, operators would need to charge higher market rates, making it hard to compete with the $10-a-day programs.Operators are staring down the barrel of a gun.The AACE is calling on Premier Danielle Smith to reevaluate Alberta's participation in Ottawa’s $10-a-day childcare dystopia. We agree — our childcare system is on the brink of collapse and thousands of parents are stuck on waiting lists, unable to find placement for their children.The AACE describes the Liberals' program as "effectively a hostile government takeover" of the childcare businesses they established, undermining quality and limiting parents' options. Not only that, it’s a hostile federal takeover of provincial jurisdiction that is unsustainable and risks destroying the high-quality childcare services that Alberta families rely upon.Alberta must explore alternative solutions that prioritize the needs of operators and families, not federal mandates. The time to reconsider our participation in this deal is now, before more centers are forced to close their doors, leaving families with nowhere to turn.
Ottawa’s $10-a-day Early Learning and Childcare Program was designed to ease the financial burden on families, but in Alberta — and across the country — it has (predictably) turned into a nightmare for childcare operators and families.The Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs (AACE) is urging the Alberta government to find a way out before it’s too late. Just three years into the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, childcare operators are facing unprecedented financial strain, with many on the brink of closure. What was promised as affordable and accessible child care has instead become a government-driven disaster threatening to collapse Alberta's childcare system.Ottawa’s mismanagement of the program has come under fire. Last month, the Auditor General of Canada announced that he is planning an audit of the program — a welcome development in the eyes of many childcare operators.“I think people are frustrated,” AACE chair Krystal Churcher said. “I’m frustrated.” But, will anything actually come of it? And if it does, will it be too late anyway?Operators like Sarah Hunter, who runs The Imagination Tree Childcare Centre in Calgary, are drowning in debt. Rent hikes, skyrocketing food costs, and frozen fees have made the $10-a-day program unsustainable. “We’re facing closure,” she says, echoing the concerns of many others in the sector. A lack of oversight and planning from Ottawa has left operators with little choice but to consider opting out.The words “I’m from Ottawa and I’m here to help” have evoked a certain sense of dread amongst Albertans for generations. That’s because we’ve been going through this for decades. The story is always the same.The federal government comes to Alberta with promises of a social utopia where they will create a perfect society filled with their sunny disposition — and then, once they’ve raided our coffers — fails to deliver on its promises.Churcher is fired up: “You want a sustainable system that provides niche programming that supports all of your child’s needs — that is not a discount service,” she says. “Those are things that cost money.”That’s a message that the prime minister has been ignoring for years. Justin Trudeau once famously even said that “budgets balance themselves.” They don’t.And so, once again, Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all approach has failed to account for the diverse needs of provinces, particularly Alberta.Childcare is provincial jurisdiction, so Ottawa’s utopian (or dystopian, depending on how you look at it) childcare dreams rely on the agreement signed by former Premier Jason Kenney in 2021. The federal government has not delivered on its promises.The provincial government, now under the leadership of Danielle Smith, has stepped up to attempt to fill funding gaps caused by the federal program.In February, the province made key changes to the funding grant system.Operators will now receive 80% of their affordability grants and subsidies at the start of March, instead of waiting five to ten days after the end of the month. The remaining amount will be paid after they submit their financial information.It helps, but at the end of the day, the system is so tragically broken that it doesn’t solve the problem. The program has trapped operators in a difficult position. If operators choose to leave or can't access the program, their employees lose wage top-ups and low-income families lose subsidies. Without those subsidies, operators would need to charge higher market rates, making it hard to compete with the $10-a-day programs.Operators are staring down the barrel of a gun.The AACE is calling on Premier Danielle Smith to reevaluate Alberta's participation in Ottawa’s $10-a-day childcare dystopia. We agree — our childcare system is on the brink of collapse and thousands of parents are stuck on waiting lists, unable to find placement for their children.The AACE describes the Liberals' program as "effectively a hostile government takeover" of the childcare businesses they established, undermining quality and limiting parents' options. Not only that, it’s a hostile federal takeover of provincial jurisdiction that is unsustainable and risks destroying the high-quality childcare services that Alberta families rely upon.Alberta must explore alternative solutions that prioritize the needs of operators and families, not federal mandates. The time to reconsider our participation in this deal is now, before more centers are forced to close their doors, leaving families with nowhere to turn.
