A new report has revealed which Canadian cities are facing the highest child care fees in the country, and practically all of the most expensive ones are located in B.C.
While there has been progress to lower costs, five years into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program has not yet produced $10 a day child care fees across the country. In fact, only six jurisdictions have committed to a $10 a day maximum fee.
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Child Care Fees in B.C.
The report comes from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), which notes that “costs are lower now, but most child care fees in Canada are not at $10 a day.”
Six jurisdictions have committed to $10 a day as a set or maximum fee: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut. Quebec’s low daily fee of $9.65 predated the CWELCC. An additional three provinces have set fees, but higher than $10 a day. The remaining four jurisdictions have a different fee at every provider.
Parents in B.C. cities pay the highest fees in the country, specifically for infant spaces. Regardless, they are still technically saving money compared to what they would have been paying without the CWELCC; but B.C. parents are saving far less than elsewhere in Canada.
Parents of infants in B.C. cities save $300 to $500 a month, compared to Toronto parents who save around $1,300 to $1,500 a month.
Market Fees
Not only that, but B.C. retains market fees, as well as Nova Scotia. This means each provider has a different fee structure, leading to “the most complex systems for parents and the highest fees.”
“Micro data from B.C. illustrates that for-profit centres charge consistently more than non-profits and that B.C. parents are paying a wide variety of fees, some of which are $10 a day but most are many several times higher.”
Notably, B.C. and Nova Scotia cities are stuck between market fees and set fees. Below, you can see this reflected in the graph as B.C. cities (which retain market fees) have the highest median daily infant fees.
“B.C. cities are the laggards on reduced fees: infant fees range from $28 a day in Kelowna to $52 a day in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver.”
