Your Island News for Monday, October 12

The question is, has your family ever benefited from a $10-a-day childcare program? And if so, can you clarify when and how?

Yes.

The YMCA that...

I don't want to reveal where my kids go to daycare, but yes, the YMCA is one of our partners in $10-a-day, and my family has, yes.

So some Democrats are upset you won't commit to a universal $10 a day strategy as promised by your predecessor.

How do you think just the optics of that and how people would feel knowing that you benefit from a program that very few people have access to and one that you won't expand?

Well, I think it's absolutely crucial that every British Columbian get access to affordable child care.

And we are committed to expanding child care.

And our next focus is before and after school care, particularly, because we have the schools.

Now, the NDP froze the program back in February to review its future.

The $10 a day child care program was brought in by the BC NDP back in 2018 under Premier John Horgan.

Back in the summer, then Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Baer stated she is concerned about structural inequities in the program, which is not based on need, but a lottery system.

Just before the snap election, a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives finds that B.C. has fallen behind other provinces when it comes to universal affordable childcare.

Now, the B.C. Conservatives were quick to respond in a statement this afternoon saying it's shocking to learn that while hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are struggling with the most expensive childcare in the country, David Eby's family landed a plumb $10 a day childcare spot.

Later this afternoon, after this exchange, David Eby and the NDP releasing this statement.

In part, it reads, the child care center that one of our children was attending was designated as a $10 a day site.

When that occurred, we chose as a family to make a donation to that facility.

We felt that we did not need the discount, and we wanted to make sure that the child care center could provide other supports for families in the community.

EB also took aim at Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's new law, allowing doctors to work both simultaneously in private and public tracks.

EB signing what his party calls its public health care guarantee, which promises to protect the system from changes that would charge patients for necessary care, let people pay to jump the queue or pull staff from public health.

Now, other party leaders are also weighing in tonight, attacking the NDP for the state of health care in our province.

The Conservatives saying David Eby is fear mongering, while others say the NDP have had years to end the health care crisis in our province and can't be trusted to make real change.

This as an island emergency room temporarily closed twice this long weekend, including this morning.

The question is, has your family ever benefited from a $10-a-day childcare program? And if so, can you clarify when and how?

Yes.

The YMCA that...

I don't want to reveal where my kids go to daycare, but yes, the YMCA is one of our partners in $10-a-day, and my family has, yes.

So some Democrats are upset you won't commit to a universal $10 a day strategy as promised by your predecessor.

How do you think just the optics of that and how people would feel knowing that you benefit from a program that very few people have access to and one that you won't expand?

Well, I think it's absolutely crucial that every British Columbian get access to affordable child care.

And we are committed to expanding child care.

And our next focus is before and after school care, particularly, because we have the schools.

Now, the NDP froze the program back in February to review its future.

The $10 a day child care program was brought in by the BC NDP back in 2018 under Premier John Horgan.

Back in the summer, then Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Baer stated she is concerned about structural inequities in the program, which is not based on need, but a lottery system.

Just before the snap election, a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives finds that B.C. has fallen behind other provinces when it comes to universal affordable childcare.

Now, the B.C. Conservatives were quick to respond in a statement this afternoon saying it's shocking to learn that while hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are struggling with the most expensive childcare in the country, David Eby's family landed a plumb $10 a day childcare spot.

Later this afternoon, after this exchange, David Eby and the NDP releasing this statement.

In part, it reads, the child care center that one of our children was attending was designated as a $10 a day site.

When that occurred, we chose as a family to make a donation to that facility.

We felt that we did not need the discount, and we wanted to make sure that the child care center could provide other supports for families in the community.

EB also took aim at Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's new law, allowing doctors to work both simultaneously in private and public tracks.

EB signing what his party calls its public health care guarantee, which promises to protect the system from changes that would charge patients for necessary care, let people pay to jump the queue or pull staff from public health.

Now, other party leaders are also weighing in tonight, attacking the NDP for the state of health care in our province.

The Conservatives saying David Eby is fear mongering, while others say the NDP have had years to end the health care crisis in our province and can't be trusted to make real change.

This as an island emergency room temporarily closed twice this long weekend, including this morning.