The future of affordable child care in Saskatchewan is in jeopardy.

Today, CUPE, the Official Opposition, and Child Care Now Saskatchewan hosted a press conference to sound the alarm and call on the provincial government to immediately renew the $10 a day child care deal.

“If Scott Moe refuses to renew the agreement with the federal government, our province will lose more than one billion dollars in additional child care funding,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan.

Peterson emphasized that the loss of funding will devastate not only families but also child care workers and centres. Workers risk losing wage top-ups up to $8.50 an hour, while centres risk losing the funding they need to keep their doors open.

Sue Delanoy, chapter chair for Child Care Now Saskatchewan, responded to claims by the province that there have been delays in negotiations. “Minister Hindley claims he is waiting to hear back from the feds. I just got back from Ottawa where we met with a federal cabinet minister to discuss our concerns – surely he can be more proactive like us.” She then added, “It’s time to stop passing the buck, this is simply too important for families to wait.”

To highlight the urgency, CUPE has launched a public countdown clock tracking the days until the agreement expires. The clock is live here. 

“This is not a distant threat – the countdown has already started,” added Peterson. “If the Sask Party doesn’t sign the deal, Saskatchewan families, workers, and communities will pay the price. Enough with the excuses – we need action now.”

CUPE Saskatchewan is the largest union in the province and represents over 30,000 workers in child care, health care, education, universities, community-based organizations, municipalities, libraries, social services, boards and agencies, and many more.

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