Mayor Tory reading The Little Engine That Could after announcing funding for 300 new subsidized childcare spots (needs council approval) pic.twitter.com/7VWSCg3d1k
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) January 17, 2017
Mayor John Tory and his budget chief have found a way to subsidize more child care spaces in Toronto.
Tory says his team will propose increasing the number of subsidized spots by 300 in 2017. Council will vote on the budget next month.
At a cost of about $3-million, the proposal would increase the number of subsidized spaces to just over 26,000.
It seems like a drop in a bucket when there are more than 17,000 families in Toronto on the subsidy waiting list.
Mayor Tory says the province has to step up more. While the Wynne Liberals have promised to create 100,000 new child care spaces, Tory says it won't make much difference if families can't afford those spots.
He is calling on the provincial and federal governments to increase funding, to subsidize more child care.
The city is asking the province to fully fund the occupancy costs of child care centres that are on school property.