children playing

Scarborough child care will not be cut to support new spaces downtown [CA-ON]

Printer-friendly versionSend by emailPDF version
Author: 
O'Neill, Susan
Format: 
Article
Publication Date: 
11 Sep 2006
AVAILABILITY

See text below.

EXCERPTS

The construction of a new child care centre in Regent Park won't result in cuts to child care spaces in Scarborough, members of the city's community services committee were assured Monday.

The city is planning to build a new 62-space child care facility, as part of its Best Start program, in the downtown neighbourhood, which is currently being redeveloped.

But, funding for Best Start has been severely cut in recent months, which left Ward 24 Councillor David Shiner (Willowdale) wondering whether programs in other wards would suffer as a result of the new facility being approved.

However, city staff assured the committee that suburban programs won't be cut to fund downtown services.

"It's impossible to translate the 62 spaces into any specific cuts in any ward," Petr Varmuza, director of children's services said, telling Ward 44 Councillor Gay Cowbourne (Scarborough East) that the city won't slash spaces in her ward.

However, Varmuza did say that funding for the city's Best Start programs will have to be re-examined next year due to recent federal funding cuts.

- reprinted from the Scarborough Mirror

Region: