A coalition that represents hundreds of child-care centres says the Ontario government’s proposed measures to boost daycare safety are welcome, but is cautioning against a “blanket” solution given the diversity of programs in the province.
The province promised changes Thursday evening after a vehicle drove into a Richmond Hill daycare at pickup time on Wednesday, killing a toddler and leaving six young children and three adults injured.
York Regional Police say two of the injured kids are still in critical condition.
Education Minister Paul Calandra says the government is looking into legislative changes to restrict parking near windows and exterior walls of child-care facilities, and to require higher curbs and bollards in some areas.
Carolyn Ferns, the policy co-ordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, says the tragedy has left the community heartbroken, and providers have already been thinking about how to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.
She says she was glad to see the province react quickly, but any new requirements should come with financial support.
Daycares have fixed revenue, meaning they cannot make proposed retrofits without help, Ferns said in an interview Friday.
“We would need, you know, some funding and support for child-care programs to be able to implement this rule in settings across the board,” she said.
“And we need to make sure that the rules make sense given the different kinds of settings that we see in Ontario.”
Ferns added that any new rules being developed should address safety risks posed by busy roadways near daycares. There should be enough space between streets and buildings, she said, and bollards should be required.
Calandra said in a post on social media that he ordered his staff to work with inspectors and service providers to identify “vulnerabilities and take immediate actions” before any upcoming legislative changes.
