Family minister Mathieu Lacombe announced Sunday that he has authorized the creation of 14,000 new daycare spaces, which should be available within two years.
This includes 8,000 spaces in childcare centres (CPEs) and 6,000 in subsidized daycares, he said at a press conference in Montreal.
Last October, Premier François Legault promised to add 37,000 spaces by 2025. He said that 20,000 of these spaces were already in the works.
Quebec launched a call for projects to fill the rest.
With Sunday’s additions, a total of 34,000 spaces out of 37,000 are being created.
While waiting for the new infrastructures to be put in place, the CPEs and subsidized daycares that have been authorized to provide these spaces will be able to “offer them in temporary facilities,” such as vacant premises, the Minister said.
Geneviève Bélisle, executive director of the Association québécoise des centers de la petite enfance, added that thanks to an agreement with the government, the CPEs will be able to have prefabricated spaces built.
This will allow them to accelerate the process and ”put the effort of several CPEs together to really develop concepts and plans.”
She announced that tenders will soon be issued for the design and manufacture of the houses.
— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Feb. 6, 2022.
