Petrolia council has asked the town's staff to investigate the possibility of starting a municipally run daycare.
The idea was presented by the Petrolia Childcare Advocacy Group at its recent regular meeting.
Spokesperson Kate Wagar tells Sarnia News Today that Petrolia is coping with a child care crisis and families are at risk of giving up jobs because they can't find adequate care.
"You can just imagine how that snowballs," said Wagar. "You're giving up a job, you're giving up your income, your pension, your benefits. What comes next? You lose a car, you lose a house."
Wagar, who runs an unlicensed daycare out of her home and is now limited to caring for four children, said parents shouldn't have to choose between their livelihood and having child care.
"We shouldn't be relying on band-aid solutions. 'Oh, well, my parents can watch them today, my neighbour can tomorrow, and then if I finish work early enough... I could get my school age kids.'"
Wagar would like to see Petrolia follow Goderich's lead. The town in Huron County runs a daycare with 104 spaces.
"If it's working in Goderich, which is of similar size to us here... if they can do it, why can't we? Goderich feels that offering a municipal wage is showing job security and that has been a key factor for them not having staff issues."
The Petrolia advocacy group has launched a petition to gain further support.
"This is an issue and this needs to be addressed," said Wagar. "One of my spear headers with me pointed out that during the Coronavirus pandemic politicians stepped up and made quick decisions. This is a situation that we feel is of the same concern, because it's our children. If the children are our future, we should probably take care of them."
Petrolia staff have been instructed to return to council in a timely manner with a report outlining some options for consideration.
In her presentation to council, Wagar shared information from the Statistics Canada 2021 census, which stated that there were 1060 children in Petrolia and 340 were under the age of four.
According to Wagar, the County of Lambton's Child Services Department has recorded 85 licensed child care spaces in the town.
"Our focus right now is not even affordability," said Wagar. "I mean it's always going to be an issue for some. We just want daycare, period."
Under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care [CWELC] agreement, the provincial and federal governments are planning to create 86,000 new child care spaces in Ontario over the next five years.
This includes lowering fees to an average of $10 per day for children under the age of six in licensed child care by September 2025.
Career fairs have been held recently to highlight opportunities in the sector.