Historic Childcare Agreement Reached

This week, the federal and provincial governments signed an agreement that will deliver affordable childcare to parents across Ontario. Championed for decades, this historic agreement is evidence of our call to all levels of government to enact the responsibility they bear to create policies that build economic and social resilience. 

Affordable childcare is an essential component of the social safety net and a policy which fosters long-term employment and economic growth.  

Daily Bread has long called for governments to make affordable, quality and inclusive early learning and childcare a reality for all families. This bilateral agreement promises: 

• Reduction in childcare fees for families with young children in licensed childcare, reaching the promised level of $10/day by September 2025. (Rebates will be offered starting in May 2022, retroactive to April 1, 2022, until full implementation.) 

• 86,000 new childcare spaces – important as demand for licensed care far outstrips available spaces. 
• Wages floors for childcare workers – an important step as the sector faces labour shortages. 
• A continuation of childcare fee subsidies for those who qualify and the Ontario Child Care Tax Credit for others who are eligible. 

We celebrate this agreement as another clear example that governments have the capacity to enact strong social policies which support all our neighbours. The recent report from the University of Calgary, using Daily Bread data, demonstrates this same principle: strong government policies are key to eliminating hunger in our community and to accomplishing their own poverty reduction goals.  

For these reasons, we applaud this important step forward and will continue to advocate for other pillars which encourage governments, as duty bearers, to act on the root causes of poverty and equitable access to opportunities for all.