CPE

Daycare strikes push local parents to private options to keep jobs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Daycare workers across Quebec ramped up pressure tactics this week, marking their 13th day of strikes since January. The dispute shows no signs of ending, pushing more parents toward costly private options.

More than 400 CPEs shut their doors over three days, forcing parents to scramble yet again for alternative childcare arrangement. The latest walkout follows a major push earlier this month that saw 8,000 striking workers flood Quebec City on April 3, demanding better wages and working conditions.

Money remains the sticking point. The government’s latest offer of 17.4 per cent over five years hasn’t satisfied workers who say they’re falling behind other public sector employees. Entry-level educators make $21.60 hourly, while some CPE staff earn as little as $18 — translating to roughly $45,000 annually when fulfilling a full-time position.

“We’re continuing the strike to reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” union representatives said earlier this week, but negotiations that started months ago remain deadlocked. The Treasury Board wants any wage hikes tied to workplace flexibility agreements, similar to deals struck with other public sector workers.

Parents are increasingly turning to private daycares, despite fees running six to seven times higher than subsidized rates. “I’m paying $65 daily now instead of $9.10,” Beaconsfield mom Sarah M. told The Suburban. “Between the strike disruptions and waitlists, I had no choice. But it’s crushing us financially.”

For many parents, the switch to private care is a desperate move to keep their jobs. “We can’t risk losing our positions because of unreliable childcare. The private fees are killing our budget, but we’re hoping it’s temporary until the public system stabilizes,” DDO resident Jamie K. told The Suburban.

The exodus to private care adds another layer to an already complex crisis. With 32,000 children on CPE waitlists and the system short 18,000 educators, many facilities operate at 80 per cent capacity. Some have shut down entire classrooms or reduced services in order to maintain basic functions.

Meanwhile, staff burnouts continues to rise. In 2022 alone, 3,000 educators left their posts while 3,200 positions remained vacant. Those who stay face mounting pressure, becoming “irreplaceable” due to the shortage and the situation has only worsened since then.

The April 3 demonstration in Quebec City marked a turning point. Workers from every region joined the march, sending a clear message about unity vis-a-vis their demands. The FSSS-CSN union, representing the workers, warned more actions could follow if talks don’t progress.

Stéphanie Vachon, speaking for the union, points to ongoing staffing shortages and mounting workloads pushing workers to the breaking point. The crisis affects more than just wages — it’s about sustaining Quebec’s daycare system.

Home daycares face additional challenges. Unlike families who can opt for cheaper meal options, these providers must maintain strict nutritional guidelines despite soaring food costs. The absorption of these increases while trying to keep services affordable is causing them to close one-by-one.

The government’s focus on building new CPE centres misses the point, critics say. “They can invest millions in concrete buildings but there is no personnel to fill those spaces. They are approaching this from the wrong angle,” FIPEQ president Valerie Gagnon explained.

Both sides returned to the bargaining table this week. Talks have picked up pace, but neither side seems ready to back down. With no resolution in sight, more families may need to brace for additional strike days ahead — and the difficult choices that come with them.

The financial threshold of the middle class family units who are paying the price in the gamble of hope for a resolution, while facing the possibility that those resolutions may not transpire as they expect hangs in the balance.

With close to 70 per cent of Québec’s population belonging to the province’s middle class, and with more than 50 per cent of parents reporting work-related issues in regards to child care services — the need for reliable daycare services during standard-core working hours is crucial, according to economic experts. n

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West End MNAs come to the aid of ‘The Little Red Playhouse’

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

It started with an anonymous complaint.

Now, one of the most unique and most loved preschools in Montreal is being threatened with closure.

The Little Red Playhouse is not a CPE in the usual sense. It is one of only a handful of places that offer services to kids who are not neurotypical, and who don’t fit in elsewhere. Founder Sharon McCarry explains that because of the services it provides and the specialists who work with the kids there, it falls outside the government’s current definitions of early childhood educational facility. Hence, there is no actual license for what The Little Red Playhouse does. That anonymous complaint – just like the kind that one might make to the OQLF – led inspectors from the ministère de la Famille to pay McCarry a visit at her home, accusing her of operating an unlicensed daycare.

McCarry’s own son, now 21, has autism. As a child he had been rejected from several schools, different Ys, and even church community groups until she took him to the Little Red Playhouse. It had been operating as a nursery school for years. McCarry was able to bring her son there a couple of days a week. In 2008 she took it over out of sheer desperation, and turned it into an inclusive education centre open to other kids with autism. They started providing art therapy, slowly adding on Social Skills and Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), bringing in occupational, speech, and music therapists, and others, all supervised by a behavioural consultant.

McCarry’s facility has been through this before. The government had made an exception for her in the past so that she could continue to operate. Needless to say, she was not expecting a visit from government inspectors.

Ten years ago McCarry had lobbied three ministries – education, family, and health, asking that they “recognize our model,” and to effectively create a new type of license “to replicate what it is we’re doing, because the outcomes that we were having were exceptional.”

It has always been difficult for neuro-atypical kids and their families to get the help and services they need in Quebec. Right now, McCarry tells The Suburban, there more than 5,000 kids on waiting lists in the West Island and the Sud-Ouest. Many of them end up in schools or daycares that simply cannot accommodate them.

In Quebec a regular daycare cannot have more than 20 percent special needs kids. McCarry says she doesn’t want to have to revert to the accepted model and have to severely reduce the number of atypical kids The Little Red Playhouse serves.

She enlisted the help of three Liberal MNAs – Jennifer Maccarone (Westmount–Saint-Louis) and Elisabeth Prass (D’Arcy-McGee), both of whom have kids with special needs, and Désirée McGraw (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce).

Maccarone has been in contact with Minister of Families Suzanne Roy, and Prass has been speaking with social services minister Lional Carmant. He knows about the Little Red Playhouse, Prass says, and is presumably on board with its model. The goal is to get Roy and Carmant to work together on a pilot project for facilities like The Little Red Playhouse. “The government is not providing the services,” Prass says, “these daycares are.” In the same way that Quebec has been leading the way in daycares for 25 years, Prass says, this would be another opportunity to do the same where facilities like McCarry’s is concerned.

McGraw is also lending her support. The Little Red Playhouse is a pillar of the Montreal West community, she wrote on X. “With so many kids on waiting lists we need more specialized pre-schools like The Little Red Playhouse, not fewer.” n

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Construction of a new daycare has finally begun

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI

GASPÉ – After nearly four years of significant effort, construction of the Voyage de mon enfance early childhood centre in Gaspé officially began on June 2. The new facility located near Carrefour Gaspé, will offer 100 daycare spaces. 

“The preparations were a lot more difficult than initially anticipated. All in all, we’re pretty proud of the results,” notes Executive Director Gilles Chapados. 

The daycare spaces were allocated by the Quebec government on August 21, 2021. “The longest part was finding the opportunity, the land that would allow for this project, which, let’s face it, is quite large. Having a site located downtown with public services made it more difficult to find the ideal site,” comments the director. 

The initiative is part of a pilot project that was first spearheaded by the Association of Early Childhood Centres and taken over by the Ministry of Families when project costs exploded. “It’s truly a completely prefabricated daycare. It’s a new thing in Quebec. Overall, for now, from a theoretical point of view, and we’ve seen it in practice, it’s much faster and more efficient, even if it comes with its share of challenges. However, there are several advantages to this type of construction,” maintains Mr. Chapados. 

There are still a few details to be worked out. “Building access, managing public services, electricity, and building this project is pretty well organized, but there are definitely technical details to be worked out,” says Mr. Chapados. 

Habitations Mont-Carleton has been awarded the contract to build the modular unit. If all goes well, the building will be completed around November or December with the new centre opening no later than February 2026. 

“If people call us, we’ll automatically redirect them to the Place 0-5 year old (an organization taking reservations). That’s where we’ll draw children (waiting list) when we need to fill spaces,” says the director. 

Construction of a new daycare has finally begun Read More »

Daycare workers move toward an unlimited strike

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The approximately 300 educators at CSN-affiliated early childhood centres in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine gathered for a general assembly on March 19 to vote on a strike mandate that could lead to an unlimited general strike. 

Educators from 12 daycare centres in the region staged their fourth and fifth strike days on March 18 and 19, following a mandate issued last fall. “The educators will discuss the steps needed following the government’s blockage regarding the renewal of the collective agreement and the improvement of working conditions,” says Serge Saint-Pierre, President of the CSN Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Central Council. 

“We see that at the bargaining table, even though there have been discussions, nothing justifies a return to work. The workers’ minimum demands have not been met,” added the union leader. The results of this mandate will be announced nationally as soon as possible. 

The workers are demanding, in particular, a lighter workload; better compensation to ensure attraction and retention; regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions; measures to improve the quality of childcare, including clearly defined and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs. “Our first three days of strike action weren’t enough to make the government see reason. The region’s childcare workers are therefore going to raise their voices with a new strike mandate. Every time we take action, we make progress at the bargaining table. We continue to make our voices heard for the future of childcare centres,” says Katie Leblanc, Vice-President of the Baie à Maria Childcare Workers’ Union. 

The workers had issued strong strike mandates last October and November in the region.  According to the CSN, the average salary for a childcare worker is $29 per hour.  In addition to the strikes of March 18 and 19, previous strikes took place in January and February 

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Lack of daycare spots remain a problem 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CARLETON-SUR-MER – The availability of daycare spaces in the Gaspé Peninsula remains a major issue, with two key challenges persisting. 

The Gaspé Peninsula Prefects Table recently had its annual meeting with the Ministerial Committee. Recommendations from the meeting will be given to the Minister of Families. 

“Two major concerns emerged. The first is that there have been several announcements in recent years. The challenge is getting these projects off the ground and getting construction underway, and the other is the lack of spots in the Avignon MRC, which has not received any new spots in the latest calls for projects,” notes the chair of the table, Mathieu Lapointe. 

According to the Quebec government, the region is expected to reach near balance in daycare spots by 2027.  “They always base their decisions on the demographic projections of the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), and that’s where I have a major problem. We’ve always proven the statistics wrong. We’re always performing better than the ISQ forecasts. The ISQ predicts a population decrease, when in reality, it’s an increase,” says the president. 

The committee serves, in particular, to provide qualitative information on economic and residential development projects, information that the ministry doesn’t have.  “They look at the needs in the 0-5 space, and we, with the committee, are there to inform them about issues in the territory,” says Mr. Lapointe. 

Determining the exact number of daycare spaces currently needed in the Gaspé remains difficult.  Similar committees exist in every region of Quebec. “What will happen to the recommendations we made? We’ll find out in the coming months,” he says. The other major challenge is the lack of educators to fill available positions. 

“The workforce challenge is significant. We see that at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, there have been no recent enrollments. It’s a big challenge,” Mr. Lapointe agrees. 

The ministry reports a 96% daycare coverage rate across Quebec.  “We would like to have this figure for the region, but we think we’re a little below the Quebec average,” the president concludes. 

Lack of daycare spots remain a problem  Read More »

Gaspé approves 84-unit housing project

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – Les Habitations de la montagne’s 86-unit affordable housing project has received final approval from the Gaspé municipal council, allowing the project to move forward. 

The approval was given during a special council meeting on February 24. “The last stumbling block in the file was a resident of the sector who opposed the project. There were discussions between him and the developers to mitigate the impacts of the project,” said Mayor Daniel Côté. 

The units will be located near the MAPAQ (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ) offices in the Sandy Beach sector of Gaspé. 

Modifications were made to address concerns, including traffic management during construction with a fenced-off area and reduced visual impacts. 

The developer has until 2029 to complete construction. While not speaking on behalf of the developers, the mayor estimates that the units could be ready by late 2027, with construction set to begin in 2026. 

“According to the latest available statistics, we went from a vacancy rate of 0% to 1%. It’s still a good improvement, but we’re still far from the equilibrium threshold. That’s why we’re continuing to invest in housing,” says Mr. Côté. 

Over the past five years, 533 residential units have been built in Gaspé. “The shortage is getting less and less severe. At one time, we never saw any housing listed. Now, there are some. It’s a sign that we’re on a positive trend in the housing shortage,” believes the mayor, who is maintaining the pace to bring in construction. 

The elected official also highlighted Gaspé’s population growth, with 490 new residents added in the past year. 

“In my humble opinion, the growth is far from over.” As long as we can build housing, I think there will be people to occupy them and contribute to our development,” continued the mayor. 

With new residents comes an increase demand for daycare spaces. 

The project for 100 new spaces at the Voyage de mon enfance Centre petit enfance (CPE) is also taking a step forward as the Town has agreed to sell part of the land it owns near Carrefour Gaspé. 

However, the project for the 144 units that was supposed to be built on the adjoining land will not see the light of day, according to the mayor. 

“The project was aborted because of the elements already mentioned. There are legal proceedings in the file. I won’t go too far in my remarks. The project has not been working for some time. We want to take back the land to do something else, whether it be housing or something else,” said the mayor. In February 2024, the Town threatened to use its termination clause, granting it the right to take back the land, since the deadlines had become too long for the project to be completed. A warning was applied in September. 

Logements CVP had purchased the municipal land in September 2021 for $300,000, though it was valued at $566,000 at the time, with plans to develop Le Domaine de la Baie. 

The investors had also deposited a $266,000 security deposit, repayable in four installments each time a complex was built. 

The project included four buildings of 36 units each, with one to be constructed per year until 2026. CVP had committed to breaking ground by December 31, 2023. 

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CPE workers strike again

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – Approximately 300 educators in Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands, affiliated with the CSN, striked again on February 6 to activate the renewal of the collective labour agreement that expired on March 31, 2023. 

Parents whose children attend one of the 12 Early Childhood Centres (CPEs) once again needed to make alternative arrangements. 

This marks the second day of strike action out of five adopted last fall. “Unfortunately, the discussions have not progressed enough for the strike movement across Quebec to be put on hold,” commented Serge Saint-Pierre, President of the CSN’s Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Central Council. 

“We’re a little fed up with the government’s refusal to respond to our demands,” continued Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

The workers are pushing for a lighter workload, higher pay to improve attraction and retention, regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions, and measures to improve the quality of services for children, including clearly defined and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs. 

The other unions representing educators have settled with the Quebec government. “The demands between the other unions and the government and the CSN and the government are completely different. We’re asking for even more. I remind you that the ultimate goal of our demands is to retain and attract workers in the province’s early childhood centres. We consider our demands to be essential elements in attracting and retaining workers in CPEs,” explains Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

The next step has not yet been determined. “It will always be about what happens at the negotiating table. If after Thursday’s strike, things get moving, we will see if it satisfies the negotiating committee. The committee has a mandate to demand certain things. If the committee judges that it is not enough to stop the mobilization or to delay it or put it on hold, the committee may decide whether or not to continue the strike,” specifies Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

It is too early to discuss the possibility of an indefinite general strike. 

In total 13,000 educators across Quebec, affiliated with the CSN will be participating in the strike. 

CPE workers strike again Read More »

Strike by CSN-affiliated daycare educators 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – On January 23, at least 150 of the 300 daycare educators in the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands, affiliated with the CSN union, demonstrated in the streets of Gaspé, to activate the renewal of the collective labour agreement, which expired on March 31, 2023. 

As a result, parents who have children attending one of the 12 early childhood centres (CPE) in the region had to find alternative childcare for the day. 

This is the first day of strike action out of five adopted last fall. “It’s satisfying to see so many educators mobilized. This proves to us that almost all early childhood educators need better working conditions, better support for children in difficulty, and better pedagogical support. They need better working conditions in general,” states the president of the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Central Council of the CSN, Serge Saint-Pierre. 

CPEs are struggling to recruit workers, as is the case for the new 71-place facility in Chandler, which is only operating at 25% of its capacity due to the inability to recruit enough staff. 

“We see that in large centres, educators are leaving to go work at places like Walmart or Costco, where they are paid more and the workload is much less,” explains Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

“If we want economic development, if we want regional development, one of the problems we see is the lack of places in early childhood. The government can resolve this issue and make it a priority. That’s what it said it would do a few years ago. We’re still waiting for the results,” says Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

The educators also visited the office of Gaspé Member of the National Assembly Stéphane Sainte-Croix to present their demands. 

“We need early childhood centres. The network isn’t sick, but we’re having trouble retaining workers and attracting them to fill vacant positions. It’s having an impact on the region’s economy to accommodate the children of parents looking for work. Workers aren’t returning to the workforce because there aren’t any daycare spaces,” explained Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

At the negotiating table, some sector-specific issues have been resolved, but no salary offers have been made by the employer. 

Meanwhile, other CPE workers’ unions have settled with the Quebec government. “It’s a matter for the negotiating committee. Why did Quebec settle with the small CPE unions and not make a final offer with the CSN? We have the impression that they want to drag out the negotiations,” believes Gaétan Leblanc, regional vice-president of the CSN’s Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux. 

The union still has four more strike days that can be used as needed. 

The workers are demanding a lighter workload, better pay to ensure attraction and retention, regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions and measures to improve the quality of services to children. These include clear and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs. 

In Quebec, 13,000 educators affiliated with the CSN were on strike on January 23. 

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Early Childhood Education course will once again be offered at Gaspé Cegep

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – Suspended since 2020, the Early Childhood Education course will return to the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles’ Gaspé campus in the fall of 2025. 

To attract candidates to the program at a time when there is a significant shortage of educators, the college is introducing paid internships and employment integration measures, including part-time work in Gaspé’s two Centres de la petite enfance (CPE), which have collaborated to upgrade the program. 

“We were inspired by CEGEPs which implemented this new paid internship formula. We went a step further and told the CPEs, ‘Could we integrate them right away with a part-time job?’ and they responded positively. So there’s the paid internship and access to employment,” explains Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles Director of Studies Serge Rochon. 

“There’s a desperate need (for early childhood workers),” says Mr. Rochon. Students who take this program are trained to work in childcare centres, as well as, school daycare services. 

A vast advertising campaign will be launched not only in the region, but also throughout the province and even internationally. 

While consulting with students during group meetings, they showed an interest in such a program. “We think there are people who might be interested in studying in Gaspé. For Quebec students, the Parcours bursary, which helps students move from one region to another, can offer a three-year bursary of $22,500 for students located more than 60 kilometres from Gaspé,” points out Mr. Rochon. This could even attract students from the Bay of Chaleur. 

Ultimately, with scholarships and paid work and internships, the cost of students in Gaspé could be mostly covered. 

There is a possibility that the CEGEP could relocate the training if the need arises. “But the teaching team wanted to keep the program in-house, since it was simpler to organize the courses. Could the program be relocated to other campuses? These are issues that are on our work table,” says Rochon. 

“Educational childcare services are in great need of qualified personnel. We’re delighted to partner with the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles to help create a unique program that will stand out and attract young people to the profession,” says Mylène Côté, director of CPE Les Butineurs. 

Her counterpart at the CPE Le voyage de mon enfance, Gilles Chapados, adds: “The new formula proposed by the CEGEP will enable future educational childcare providers to quickly put their learning into practice, while being remunerated. It’s a win-win situation.” 

To relaunch the program, the CEGEP must receive at least seven registrations by March 1, 2025, the admissions deadline. Classes would begin in the fall of 2025. 

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