Child care workers say municipal politicians must shoulder some responsibility for strike at the city’s oldest daycare center

TorontoChild care is in crisis in Toronto and Mayer Mel Lastman and others on City council must take some responsibility for the well-being of children in our community, say Victoria child care workers, who have been on strike for nearly eight-months.

To drive the point home, the strikers will take their protests to the steps of Toronto City Hall. They will be joined by Sid Ryan the Ontario president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, community activists, and parents, at a rally tomorrow, Tuesday January 23, at Nathan Philips Square at 10:30 a.m.

Victoria Day Care Centre, the oldest child care agency in the city has been closed for the duration of the strike and the 83 subsidized child care spaces at the centre are sitting empty. The workers went on strike because the Victoria Daycare center executive board took money allocated for the employee pension plan to fund the day-to-day operations of the agency.

The 25 child care workers believe the city of Toronto is ultimately responsible for insuring inner-city families have access to affordable child care. But so far, municipal politicians have done little to help resolve the labour dispute that is a direct result of chronic underfunding of municipal child care agencies.

Mayor Mel Lastman and other city councillors must do more than pay lip service when it comes to supporting affordable child care. They must adequately fund municipal child care and demand that the provincial government do the same. Toronto children deserve that support, says Ryan.

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For More Information
Sid Ryan, President CUPE Ontario
(416) 209-0066
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications
(416) 578-8774

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