EXCERPTS

Advocates for less expensive child care are hoping that Newfoundland and Labrador will soon follow in the footsteps of Nova Scotia and British Columbia and work out a deal with the federal government.

By the end of 2022, Nova Scotians will see a 50 per cent reduction in the average cost of child care in regulated centres for children under six with an average fee of $10 per child.

The federal government will give the province about $600-million while the province kicks in $40-million over five years.

Alyse Stuart, the chair of Common Front NL, says the pandemic proved without any doubt that there is a need not only for subsidized daycare but for more spaces.

She would also like to see expanded hours because many people, such as nurses, do shiftwork and fall outside the normal operating hours.