PEEL REGION - Facing a possible closure of 12 city-run day care centres, parents are urging councillors to "just say no". The proposed closures were recommended in a report released on January 20th, 2012 by Peel Region, with voting on the closures set to take place on Thursday, January 26th. UPDATE: Peel Regional Council voted against the recommendation to close the 12 city-run daycare centres. Council has decided on public consultations before any other steps are taken.

"All week, parents have been telling us that they did not know the child care centres were threatened," said Andrea Calver, Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC), which has been alerting child care centres and parents about the upcoming vote. "It's not right for the Region to try to ram this through; they should be consulting with the people most affected - the parents."

Calver said that despite it being a fast growing region, Peel has a lower percentage of child care than Ontario has a whole.

"That makes these centres even more important. They offer parenting support and high quality child care at a cost that many struggling families can afford," said Lisa Martinez, parent. "If these child care centres close, then Peel Region will be targeting the most vulnerable."

About 800 families will lose the current child care they are receiving from the municipal centres. The OCBCC estimates that about 200 jobs will be lost with the closures.

"We have long memories. We will vote against any councillor who votes to close our centres - and we will organize to make sure they are not re-elected again," added Ms. Martinez.

Calver added that instead of stripping the region of much-needed day care centres, Peel should join with other municipalities and advocacy groups to call on the Ontario government to adequately fund child care in the 2012 budget so that municipal and community-based centres can stay open.

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