Months after the Ontario government announced a ban on waitlist fees at daycares, there are calls for B.C. to follow suit.
Burnaby mother Sara Banjac, a teacher who is on her second maternity leave, was stunned to learn some daycares charge from $15 to $200 to get on their waitlists, with no guarantee of ever getting a space.
Banjac said she was initially hesitant to pay, but anxiety over finding a childcare space before she heads back to work eventually led her to give in.
"I paid it, just to get on the list and have a chance of getting a call. And I never did get a call," Banjac said.
Richmond mom Kristi O'Neill knows that feeling of desperation. She said she couldn’t find a daycare in her city that doesn't charge a waitlist fee, and ultimately paid to put each of her sons on seven lists.
"I still have not heard if we have a spot for March. How stressful is that?" O'Neill said. "Can I go back to work or not?"
She questioned whether the waitlist fees are anything more than a cash-grab taking advantage of worried parents.
Daycare operators in Ontario have been banned from charging parents a waitlist fee, or even a deposit, since Sept. 1, and as of January they will be forced to show parents their position on the lists – something that would also be welcome by parents like Banjac and O'Neill.
On Thursday, B.C.'s Minister of Children and Families, Stephanie Cadieux, said she wasn't aware daycares in the province are charging waitlist fees, and promised to look into Ontario's approach.
"While I understand from a parent's perspective, definitely, why they'd like to see us act immediately, I think we have to take a look at what the situation is in B.C.," Cadieux said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson
