Ontario’s government has not yet reached its promised average child‑care fee of $10 per day, and the province is seeing a rise in waitlists for child‑care spots in Toronto. The shortfall comes as roughly half of Canada’s provinces have already met the $10‑a‑day benchmark, highlighting the gap between Ontario’s policy aim and current reality.
Parents in Toronto report increasing difficulty securing child‑care, with waitlists lengthening amid the province’s ongoing effort to lower costs. The growing demand is prompting families to call for immediate action to expand the number of available child‑care spaces rather than focusing solely on further fee reductions.
A child‑care advocate has joined parents in urging the provincial government to prioritize capacity growth. The advocate argues that expanding the supply of child‑care locations is essential to address the backlog before any additional fee cuts are considered, suggesting that without more slots the $10‑per‑day goal will remain out of reach.
Ontario continues to work toward its target of reducing average child‑care fees, a policy that would align the province with the half of Canadian jurisdictions already achieving the $10 figure. However, the rising waitlists in Toronto underscore the challenge of balancing affordability with sufficient availability, and officials are now faced with pressure to deliver both lower costs and more places for families seeking care.