Item - 2023.EC4.3

That:

1. City Council amend Economic and Community Development Committee Recommendation 2 so that it now reads as follows:

2. City Council request the Province of Ontario to review the fee subsidy guidelines and update the income threshold and revise eligibility criteria in order to reduce additional barriers for low-income families to access child care spaces funded by the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement, and to allow service system managers to use excess provincial funding previously used to support fee subsidies to expand the number of available fee subsidies in the system.

2. City Council amend Economic and Community Development Committee Recommendation 4 so that it now reads as follows:

4. City Council request the Province of Ontario to: increase school-age spaces to ensure continued access to affordable child care for families with children age 6 to 12, including additional measures to offset fees.

a. provide additional investment to increase wages and benefits, comparable to positions in the public sector, to support recruitment and retention for all staff in the early years and child care sector; and

b. collaborate with service system managers to develop regional wage scales including a set of guidelines for sustained increases to wages and benefits that address cost of living and reflect training and education of staff.

3. City Council amend Economic and Community Development Committee Recommendation 6 so that it now reads as follows:

6. City Council request the Federal and Provincial Governments to commit to capital funding to support the child care expansion targets in the not-for-profit and public sector for Toronto set out in the Province’s Draft Access and Inclusion Framework, and the Growth Strategy.

That:

1. City Council recommend that the Province of Ontario increase the allocation of  Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care-funded spaces for Toronto to align with the Child Care Growth Strategy targets to better address demand and ensure equitable access to affordable and high quality child care spaces for families in Toronto.

2. City Council recommend that the Province of Ontario review the fee subsidy guidelines and update the income threshold and revise eligibility criteria in order to reduce additional barriers for low-income families to access child care spaces funded by the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement. 

3. City Council recommend that the Province of Ontario develop a set of guidelines for sustained increase to wages and benefits that are inclusive of all staff in the early years and child care sector and provide additional investment to implement these guidelines.

4. City Council request the Province to increase school-age spaces to ensure continued access to affordable child care for families with children age 6 to 12, including additional measures to offset fees.

That:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Children's Services to report to City Council, through the Economic and Community Development Committee, by November 28, 2023, on the number and capital funding source of new child care spaces constructed since the adoption of the Licensed Child Care Growth Strategy (the Strategy) in 2017, as well as an update on the progress of child care expansion as it relates to the Strategy.

2. City Council request the Federal and Provincial Governments to commit to capital funding to support the child care expansion targets in the not for profit and publicly funded sector for Toronto set out in the Province’s Access and Inclusion Framework, and the Strategy.

That Part 1 of Councillor Carroll's Motion 1a be amended by adding "and/or the Federal Government" so that it reads:

" 1. City Council recommend that the Province of Ontario and/or the Federal Government increase the allocation of Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care-funded spaces for Toronto to align with the Child Care Growth Strategy targets to better address demand and ensure equitable access to affordable and high quality child care spaces for families in Toronto. "