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A new report says Halifax has some of the highest child care costs among major Canadian cities, a finding that advocates say risks forcing Nova Scotians — particularly women — out of the workforce.

Released Wednesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the data says Halifax has the sixth most expensive child care fees out of 35 major Canadian cities. The median fee for daycare in Halifax was $24 a day per child as of April, according to the think tank's study, more expensive than fees in Toronto, Oakville, Ottawa and all other Atlantic cities studied.

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Kenya Thompson, with Child Care Now Nova Scotia, said families in the province are struggling to find daycare they can afford, with many parents forced to leave their jobs to care for children.

"I hear so many stories of folks whose employment has been significantly disrupted," she said.

Thompson said the provincial government needs to significantly invest in child care to subsidize fees and ensure parents with young children remain in the workforce.

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The report says just six provinces and territories — Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador — have met or improved upon the government's $10-a-day target.

Five provinces — Ontario, Alberta, B.C., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — do not yet have plans to reduce fees to an average of $10 a day, the report says.

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