Special Report: Halton weighs in on Bill 50 by Melanie Hennessey Special to the Beaver 37 | Thursday, September 25, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Independent home daycare providers in Halton are calling for changes to a proposed provincial bill that would force them to reduce the number of children they care for -- a move they say could leave them with no choice but to raise prices or close their doors. The Child Care Modernization Act, or Bill 10, will be back on the agenda at Queen's Park when the legislature reconvenes next month. The proposed bill aims to improve the safety and well-being of children in daycare settings through measures such as harsher penalties for those who don't comply and the ability to immediately shut down a provider who's operating in an unsafe manner. But the potential legislation would also require unlicensed -- or independent -- home daycare providers to start counting their child participants under the age of six as part of the maximum five children they're allowed to look after. They would also only be able to take on two children who are two years old or younger. Local numbers could be reduced Those restrictions could dramatically reduce the number of childcare spaces in Halton, according to local home daycare provider Tracy Skelton, who's also a representative of the Coalition of Independent Childcare Providers of Ontario (CICPO) and Halton Child Care Providers Association, Oakville chapter. "We can all agree that we want children to be safe and that some changes need to be made. But we think this bill is going to create a child care crisis," she said. "It will dramatically cut the number of affordable childcare spaces in the province, forcing parents to turn to large daycare centres that often lack individualized attention." Affecting working women She said she believes the act would have a disproportionate impact on working women, especially those on low incomes, who would have difficulty finding and paying for care for their children. "The act will force out of business many of the home childcare providers that currently care for about 80 per cent of Ontario's children," she believes. According to CICPO, there are currently 70,000 independent daycare providers who care for 350,000 children across the province. With each provider facing an average potential reduction of two spots, the proposed bill could bring about the loss of 140,000 spots in Ontario, said CICPO co-founder Heidi Higgins. Flynn told Metroland Media, the base, there's no way to tell exactly how home daycare providers licensed parent company of the Oakville Beaver, many independent home daycare pro- through agencies in the region, along that he's supportive of the overall in- viders there are in Halton. with 272 childcare centres. Collectivetent of the bill, but also plans to speak There are currently more than 100 see Tragedies on p.41 with Minister of Education Liz Sandals on behalf of local childcare providers. ADVERTISEMENT "If something was presented in a reasonable way I know she would take it into account and be prepared to study it," he said. He added, "We need to ensure that the parents in the province understand that daycare is a safe situation Ontario consumers benefit from highly competitive beer market and a regulated situation, but we also have to be realistic to the needs of the providers themselves." Ontario's Beer Store delivers the lowest beer prices in Canada Ontario Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn We need to ensure that the parents in the province understand that it, daycare, is a safe situation and a regulated situation, but we also have to be realistic to the needs of the providers themselves. Kevin Flynn Ontario Labour Minister and Oakville MPP "This bill's exclusion of the tens of thousands of independent professional caregivers caring for the majority of Ontario's children is both short-sighted and detrimental to the well-being of our children," Higgins believes. Skelton recently brought the group's concerns to the attention of Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, who's also former chair of the Region's childcare committee. Licensing rules Another key change that local providers and CICPO are hoping to see is a stipulation that would allow independent home daycares to become licensed through the Province. Currently, the Ministry of Education only licenses private home daycare agencies, which then in turn contract individual caregivers for a fee that typically ranges from $6-$10 per day, per child. Skelton said many home daycare providers opt to not sign up with an agency due to the loss of income from fees. "If they (the Province) created a way to get licensed independently, that would create more safety. This would also create a database of people who are caring for children," she said. "There are so many great providers out there that really are operating to the same standard as someone with an agency." Flynn voiced his support for such a licensing system, noting "anything we can do to make the system safer is good." Due to the lack of a central data- By Jeff Newton How we sell beer, wine and liquor has been a hot topic this summer across Ontario. Not just how we sell beer, but for how much. For example, consider the claims of those calling for liquor sales at convenience stores and gas stations, including the multinational chains that own them. They have falsely claimed beer prices are lower in Quebec than Ontario. It's just not true. Data gathered by A.C. Neilsen and analyzed by Navigant Economics shows that even though Ontario beer taxes are double those in Quebec, average selling prices at the Beer Store are still lower. When prices before government taxes were examined the study found the average Ontario beer price was more than 18% lower. It also found that the pre-tax price for best selling package sizes 6, 12 and 24-packs were all lower here at the Beer Store. In fact, prices at the Beer Store are the lowest in Canada. That's because there is intense competition among brewers who set their own prices at the Beer Store's 450 retail locations with frequent, multiple price changes as brewers jockey for position and market share. The Beer Store is a completely open system. Any brewer can sell as many brands in as many Beer Store locations as they choose. It's a highly competitive selling environment. With more than 100 brewers and more than 400 brands competing, consumers reap the benefits of competition through lower prices. Complete open access is not a common feature of private alcohol retailing. We believe many small brewers would be denied the ability to sell in small convenience stores and gas stations, thus reducing choice for Ontario consumers. Selling beer, wine and hard liquor at more than 10,000 convenience store and gas station locations, many close to our schools and right next to our homes, would increase distribution costs significantly. Add those higher costs to Ontario's higher beer tax and prices will rise. It's just common sense. Even the CEO of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association told the media their members "never advocated that we were going to offer cheap beer to anybody." He referred to higher prices as an "up charge" related to "the convenience factor." We know milk and bread costs more at the convenience store. But the convenience `up charge' of selling alcohol is a much higher cost than just dollars and cents. What price do we place on preventing sales to minors? What price do we place on the gains we have made in reducing drinking and driving? What price do we place on keeping crime out of our neighbourhood convenience stores, close to our homes? The real debate is not about price. Ontario consumers already win on price. The real debate is about whether Ontario really needs 10,000 new liquor stores. If the result is an erosion of responsible sales and higher beer prices, we're certain that most Ontarians will say the cost is just too high. Jeff Newton is President and CEO of Canada's National Brewers (CNB), a national trade association representing Labatt Brewing Company Ltd., Molson Coors Canada and Sleeman Breweries Ltd., who jointly operate the Beer Store. 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