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Victoria mayor Lisa Helps and councillor Jeremy Loveday are looking to introduce a motion this week to improve child-care in the city.
It’s set to be debated Thursday, and would see the city commit to developing an action plan and to apply for funding now available from the province.
The provincial government through the Union of B.C. Municipalities is providing Community Child Care Planning grants of up to $25,000 per applicant.
Loveday says the funding would allow the city to assess the needs of the municipality, and then to create a plan accordingly.
“This would cover everything from how do we make sure the city is not in the way when people want to open childcare,” said Loveday.
“How do we incentivize childcare and new developments? How do we make sure we are getting the best usage out of the city-owned facilities we have already?”
The deadline to apply is Jan. 18 2019 and Loveday says council will likely move forward with the motion.
“I think it should pass… there are already indications in our draft strategic plan that council wants to make to access to affordable childcare a priority for this council term,” said Loveday.
“There are alot of families struggling in this city… childcare is one piece of that puzzle.”
On Tuesday the province also announced that 439 new licensed child-care spaces will be available at six elementary schools around Victoria through a $4.6 million agreement.
The Greater Victoria School District is partnering with non-profit organizations to deliver the new spaces, with funding from the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund.
The fund is part of the B.C. government’s $1 billion plan for child care over the next three years and a move towards universal childcare.
READ MORE: More than 400 child-care spaces to open through six Greater Victoria elementary schools
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