Members of the Petrolia Childcare Advocacy Group say there's a childcare crisis plaguing the county.
During a presentation to Lambton County Council Wednesday morning, spokesperson Kate Wagar said 84 per cent of children in Lambton County do not have access to licensed childcare.
"Even if existing operators within Lambton County were functioning at 100 per cent capacity, our access to childcare rate isn't conducive to facilitating a thriving economy," said Wagar. "You're all elected advocates, we're here to hold you accountable for the needs of your constituents, to collaborate a legacy movement showing how to make childcare accessible for rural communities across the country."
She said she is not exaggerating, or blowing the situation out of proportion for impact.
"This is our reality," said Wagar. "This is why some are forced to work part-time and retired grandparents are working harder than ever. This is why parents are leaving careers and families are struggling on single incomes. This is abysmal."
The Advocacy Group's Jenna Simpson said capital is key, since childcare centres cannot fill jobs for $18 an hour, and are operating under capacity. She told councillors that choosing not to fund childcare is like choosing not to fund other critical infrastructure.
"Secondly, county councillors must form an advisory committee immediately to plan for county-run childcare," said Simpson. "Thirdly, and ultimately we are asking for the county to resurrect county-run childcare. The simplest way to reduce this problem is to lead promptly and decisively."
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley echoed the sentiment during Wednesday's meeting in Wyoming.
"This county council 10 years ago took us out of the public daycare business and took an asset the city had had for 30 years, Coronation Daycare Centre, and closed it," said Bradley. "Sold to the private sector, in my view, in a deal that was questionable. So, I guess my point is this is an investment, and that's the attitude we had back then, it's an investment in the future."
Simpson said studies have shown that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, the broader economy receives between $1.50 and $2.80 in return.
"Despite increased funding from the province to support a higher wage floor, there is much work to do," she said. "The county must immediately invest $1,000 per year per licensed space into current third-party centre based operations, in order to increase wages in the chronically low wage sector and bring those operations up to capacity."
Lambton Shores Deputy Mayor Dan Sageman agrees something needs to be done, and soon.
"I think what you're talking about is a paradigm shift in our entire society and a living wage, and I think that we need to start looking at everything else has got more expensive, and our wages are not keeping up," said Sageman. "I don't think that's something that's going to change in the near future, so I wholeheartedly support everything that you've brought to us."
County council has directed staff to report back on the current status of childcare in Lambton, including space availability, current funding for childcare spaces, as well as steps taken and options available to reasonably improve access to childcare, including opportunities for private-public partnership.
Staff have been asked to report back on the matter on or before 2024 budget deliberations.