EXCERPTS
Montreal families facing long waiting lists for access to public daycare will get some relief with the introduction of more than 2,000 new spots in the next two years, said Family Minister Nicole Léger on Monday.
The new spots are part of the Parti Québécois's promise last February to up the number of spots in the province by 15,000.
"The addition of 2,281 spots mainly in CPEs ($7-a-day daycares) in the region will also help create 402 new jobs," Léger said.
The PQ gave the green light to a number of daycare centre projects throughout the island of Montreal, which include public daycare centres and home-based childcare services.
Eastern Montreal neighbourhoods such as Ahuntsic, Montreal North, St-Léonard and St-Michel will get 868 new spots. The western part of the island will get 664. That includes Dorval, Lachine, LaSalle, the West Island, Cartierville, St-Laurent and Montreal West.
Central neighbourhoods such as Plateau-Mont-Royal, Villeray and the Southwest borough, will get 749 spots in the new deal.
The PQ in November 2012 promised to bring the province's total of daycare spaces to 250,000 by 2016 by adding 28,000 spots. The 15,000 is the first part of this increase.
Last month, the PQ announced in its new budget that it would increase the price of daycare from $7 a day, to $8 in September and then $9 in 2015.
If no increase is made, Quebec taxpayers can expect the new daycare spots to cost $260 million.
- reprinted from the CBC News