Report shows Nova Scotia parents paying among the highest child-care fees

HALIFAX – Today, NSNDP Education and Early Childhood Development Critic Paul Wozney made the following statement in response to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ annual report on child care fees:

“This report shows Halifax has some of the highest child-care fees in the country and raises serious concerns about Nova Scotia’s ability to reduce fees to $10 per day.

The daily child-care cost for a pre-school child in Halifax is just over $22 – meaning families here are paying more than twice what parents in cities like Winnipeg, Charlottetown, St. John’s and Montreal pay. That adds up to hundreds of dollars a month because the Houston government isn’t taking action to deliver more affordable childcare. There’s no good reason for families here to be paying so much.

Following recent news that Halifax’s cost of living is on par with Toronto’s, this report is yet another sign that life in Nova Scotia is becoming too expensive for everyday people. Where is the leadership from the Houston government on housing, on the price of commuting and on child-care costs?

Families need real, urgent action to make child care truly affordable and ensure that Nova Scotians can afford to grow their families or return to their jobs after having a baby.”

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