Two new child-care centres coming to Winnipeg
Two new child-care centres are set to open in Winnipeg, providing 108 new child-care spaces.
The Governments of Canada and Manitoba made the announcement on Thursday, saying the new centres will be located in the St. Boniface and North End areas.
“Child-care is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Ahmed Hussen, federal minister of families, children and social development, in a news release.
“The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that we need affordable, flexible, inclusive and high-quality child-care, and these new spaces will allow more children to have the best possible start in life.”
Construction is now complete on the 8,360-square-foot centre located at the Université de Saint-Boniface (USB). This facility, which will be called the Centre d’apprentissage et de garde d’enfants de Saint-Boniface Inc., will provide 16 infant and 64 pre-school spaces for a total of 80 child-care spaces.
The centre will offer child-care services to those who are studying and working at USB or who live in the broader Francophone community in the city. It is set to open in August.
The $6.6 million project was funded through the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement; USB; the Association Étudiante de L’Université de Saint-Boniface; and the federal government through the Canada-Manitoba Agreement of Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction. It will receive about $45,000 a year in annual operating funding.
“These investments are key to ensuring the vitality of French in Manitoba while allowing our children to grow and develop in a country that promotes both our official languages,” said Mélanie Joly, federal minister of economic development and official languages.
“Our government is proud of its investments to date and aims to continue to support minority-language early learning and child-care education throughout Canada.”
Construction is also complete on the other new child-care centre, a 3.600-square-foot facility located on Selkirk Avenue. It will offer four infant and 24 pre-school spaces, for a total of 28.
The Little Stars PLAYhouse will provide child-care for families in the city’s North End, and will offer culturally appropriate learning and programming.
The $1.7 million project was supported by funding from the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care agreement, the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF), and donations and fundraising led by Women Healing for Change. It will receive up to $146,820 in annual operating funding.
The new centre is set to open in September.
“We were pleased to have the resources and capacity to step in when this project was at risk and ensure that these day-care spaces were made available to Manitoba families,” said Frances Chartrand, minister for health and early learning child care with the MMF.
We’re particularly proud that Little Stars PLAYhouse will offer educational programming on Métis culture and language. If all partners are able to work within the nation-to-nation, government-to-government framework, we can accomplish many more great things for early learning and child care in our province.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.