TORONTO – Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra is warning that if the next federal government does not increase funding for the $10-a-day child-care program, the fees parents pay will rise.
The fees in Ontario are currently capped at $22 a day, as an interim step toward the $10-a-day mark.
Ontario is one of three provinces that did not sign an extension to the program with the federal government before the election was called, though it has signed an agreement-in-principle saying that it wants to continue delivering the reduced parental fees.
However, the province has argued that the current funding structure would leave Ontario $10 billion short over five years.
Calandra has sent a letter to parents of children in daycare saying that without additional funding, fees could start to rise after March 31, 2026, the expiry date of the province’s current deal with the federal government.
He says he has not seen a promise to increase funding in the platforms of either the federal Liberals or Conservatives.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.
