Victoria, BC – June 22, 2023 – Elena Lawson, BC United candidate for Langford-Juan de Fuca, is taking a firm stance on the childcare crisis troubling the West Shore. With the pressing need for childcare spaces, it is evident that the current government’s promises have fallen drastically short.
“In 2018, the NDP pledged to deliver 24,000 net new childcare spaces across this province over three years. However, as of 2023, we are left with a mere 6,302 net new spaces in a span of six years,” said Lawson. “This failure to fulfill their commitment has left parents in a state of desperation. This NDP government’s inability to deliver actual results has led to the lack of available childcare spaces, significantly hindering parents’ ability to return to work.”
The situation becomes even more dire when we examine the Westshore, where numerous childcare providers have closed their waitlists as they were exceeding two years. This alarming reality explains the overwhelming number of desperate parents resorting to making endless phone calls to childcare referral centers across the province, desperately seeking childcare options that do not exist in the Westshore and Sooke areas.
“A quick glance at the map created by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reveals the harsh truth – Langford and Sooke are childcare deserts. Langford, with over 3,000 children under the age of 5, has a meagre 902 full-time childcare spaces available,” Lawson added. “Shockingly, there is only a single $10-a-day option at the YMCA. The situation is even worse in Sooke, where 1,025 children are left with a mere 205 full-time childcare spaces. It is abundantly clear that the NDP government has let down West Shore parents when it comes to addressing the child care crisis.”
BC United candidate Elena Lawson strongly believes that immediate action is required to rectify this childcare crisis. Westshore parents deserve accessible, affordable, and quality childcare options. As a champion for change, Lawson promises to prioritize the expansion of childcare spaces, working tirelessly to ensure that no parent in the Westshore is left struggling to find adequate care for their children.
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“Yes, the NDP has created spaces but with the lack of qualified staff, we are only opening about half of those new spaces or the new centres are taking the staff from a currently running centre. This causes us to have centres running at half capacity due to staffing shortages (or closing all together) and therefore we are not gaining spaces and in some places we are actually losing spaces.” – Meagan Brame, Early Learning and Care Specialist
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