VICTORIA – Local families in Nanaimo will soon be able to access 40 new licensed child-care spaces thanks to a $472,405  investment through the Province’s Child Care Major Capital Funding Program, announced New Democrat MLA for Nanaimo, Leonard Krog.

“These 40 new spaces in Nanaimo are a first step towards achieving our goal of implementing universal child care in B.C.,” said MLA Krog. “We know there’s more work to do, and our government is committed to making life more affordable for B.C. families.”

This investment includes $472,405 for a new Centre de garde de l’école Océane which will create the 40 new child-care spaces in Nanaimo.

This investment will allow child-care providers to:

• Build a new child-care facility, including the cost of buying land or a building.
• Purchase and assemble a modular building and develop a site.
• Renovate an existing building.
• Buy eligible equipment (including playground equipment) and furnishings as part of the above activities to support new child-care spaces in an existing facility.

The Province is now in the process of working with child-care providers to sign project agreements that include the specific requirements that providers have identified for each site, such as the need to lease or buy property, obtain local zoning permits and hire contractors to renovate the sites.

Accelerating the creation of new child-care spaces is part of the B.C. government’s commitment to improve accessibility for families and supports its long-term goal of implementing universal child care in B.C. For more information, please visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare.