EXCERPTS

Ontario has inked a $13.2-billion deal with the federal government to lower the cost of licensed home and centre-based child care to an average of $10 per day by 2025 for children five years old and younger. Parents and child-care providers in Peel say it’s long overdue.

Brampton resident and school teacher Annesha Sookwa-Veeran pays around $1,600 per month for her daughter’s child care. She says even with both her and her husband working full time, they’re “barely scraping by.”

“My initial thought was ‘it's about time.’ I don't understand how we're Canadian and we have women that can't afford to go to work. It's cheaper for them to stay home than it is to send their kids to daycare,” said Sookwa-Veeran. “Finally, they're thinking about women and the idea that we deserve to have an equal chance of being in the workforce.”