Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Via BC Federation of Labour

• Saturday, March 31, 11am – 12:30pm
• Burrard Bridge, Vancouver
• Gather at 11am at Seaforth Peace Flame Park (south end of bridge by Cornwall Ave.)
• Calling parents, grandparents, early childhood educators and child care supporters to span the bridge sidewalks with signs and songs!

March 30-31 marks the elimination of federal-provincial childcare funding agreements by the Harper Conservatives. It also marks the closure of several childcare resource and referral centres in BC and the elimination of critical services to working families as a result of funding cuts by the Campbell Liberals.

Hardest hit by the cuts is Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre in Vancouver, where approximately 35 BCGEU members will lose their jobs. The Campbell Liberals’ cuts mean the total elimination of the Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre’s $800,000 annual provincial services budget.

There will be no more province-wide ‘Safe Spaces’ anti-bullying training for caregivers of young children; the end of a provincial lending library with a strong multicultural focus that circulates some 19,000 toys, videos and learning materials annually; and the end to business management advisory services that supported 2,500 childcare providers last year.

Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral – which matches parents with childcare provider contact information and other services — will also lose one-third of its budget. This will likely mean the closure of a number of its nine decentralized neighbourhood house sites around the city, and reductions to other family-support programs. We are calling all childcare supporters, parents, grandparents and early childhood educators to span the bridge sidewalks with signs and songs! Support Westcoast Child Care Resources and other BC childcare resource and referral centres that are being cut.