Ontario extends affordable child-care program but fees stay at $19 a day

Ontario and the federal government have agreed to extend the national affordable child-care program for four years, securing funding until at least 2031. The extension provides $12 billion from the federal government, plus Ontario's share of an additional $5.4 billion announced earlier this year.

However, Ontario's average child-care fees will remain at $19 a day—capped at $22—until June 30, 2027. The province committed to maintain the current rate but made no promises to lower it further. About half of Canadian provinces now offer average fees at $10 a day, the program's original signature goal. Ontario has not met that target.

Patty Hajdu, federal Jobs and Families Minister, said "obviously this has been a challenging piece of work, but it's been an amazing piece of work." Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra stated that parents in Ontario are still saving about $9,000 per child annually even at the current rate. "If they want to get down lower, then they're going to have to provide significantly more dollars to do that," Calandra said.

Waitlists in some Ontario regions have grown by several hundred per cent since the national program began. The province was supposed to create 86,000 affordable spaces by this year under the federal deal but has created just under 60,000 so far. Calandra said the province expects significant additional spaces to become available next year as most new schools under construction have child care attached. Ontario's financial accountability officer has estimated demand for new spaces closer to 220,000.