EXCERPTS
A daycare in Stony Plain, Alta. is being shut down by the province over allegations staff were biting, force-feeding and hitting children.
"These concerns are very serious," said Trevor Coulombe, a spokesman for Alberta Children and Youth Services.
According to a notice of cancellation, the Stony Day Care Centre and Stony Out of School Care will be closed on July 24.
Provincial investigators went to the daycare, about 30 kilometres west of Edmonton, on June 21, 22 and 28 after receiving a complaint.
They found children were being inappropriately disciplined by biting, shaming and hitting. Children were also forced to eat. In one case, a child vomited, and the vomit was mixed into the food, which the child was then forced to eat, the notice states.
Investigators said two "kinder age" children were "humiliated as a result of toileting accidents."
And two toddlers were left unattended inside the daycare on June 15, after the rest of the group had gone outside,according to the notice.
The provincial ministry says it is convinced the allegations are true. Until the daycare closes, "we are monitoring on a daily basis to ensure the safety and well-being of the children during that period," Coulombe said.
The owner of the daycare would not speak to CBC on camera. She admitted that children have been left unattended but said the other allegations are not true. She said she plans to appeal the licence cancellation.
Marni Parry's two young sons have been going to the daycare for more than two years.
"It gets me pretty emotional," Parry said. "My boys have done really well here. And I haven't even told them they can't come back yet. I don't know how to do that. So, it's kind of like losing a member of the family."
Parry read the allegations in the notice and said she can't believe them.
The news of the closure came as a surprise to Gail Landsman, whose grandson attends the daycare. "I haven't had any complaints so far, from him either," she said. "And he speaks out pretty good."
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- reprinted from the CBC News