Care Counts: Families, Child Care Advocates and Educators to Rally at Queen’s Park as Ford government stalls momentum on child care

The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and their partners and allies warn that, despite a new federal child care agreement, Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government’s sluggish rollout and lack of provincial funding is leaving families on waitlists and contributes to ECEs leaving the sector

TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, October 29th at 12:00 PM, Early Childhood Educators, parents, labour leaders, and community advocates will gather on the lawn of Queen’s Park for the Care Counts Rally for Early Learning and Child Care to call on Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario provincial government to step up with necessary provincial funding for early learning and child care.

"Ontario has no goal to build more child care spaces, no plan to improve ECE wages, and no intention of getting to $10aDay fees for families. Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government needs to step up and pull its weight," said Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

Demonstrators will present a sharp economic argument to provincial lawmakers: child care is foundational economic infrastructure that enables parental workforce participation, strengthens local communities, and drives provincial productivity. Across Canada, federal funding has dramatically lowered child care fees for families.

However, in Ontario, the long-term success of the $10-a-day system is threatened by provincial shortfalls under the Ford government. Rather than leveraging federal investments to build a sustainable system, Ontario is behind on child care space creation, has no wage grid for ECEs despite effective systems in seven other provinces, and no plan to get to $10aDay for families.

"Early childhood educators love their work, but passion doesn’t pay the bills," said Amber Straker, Executive Director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario. "Federal dollars have made care more affordable for parents, but provincial policies under the Ford government are forcing skilled professionals out of the sector. The cost of living has risen, and educator wages have not kept up. Decent work and fair pay are provincial responsibilities, and it’s time for Queen’s Park to value the workers in the early years and child care sector who care for our children and make Ontario’s workforce possible. Care work counts, and educator wages matter.”

Advocates point out that child care is a provincial responsibility, yet the Ontario government has refused to invest required provincial matching funds to support the sector’s workforce. By effectively capping wage enhancements for ECEs and child care staff at unsustainable levels, provincial policy has exacerbated a severe recruitment and retention crisis. Licensed child care centres across Ontario are being forced to close rooms and leave spaces empty. Not due to a lack of parent demand, but because Premier Doug Ford's government has failed to provide the provincial funding needed to pay educators fair wages.

"You cannot build a functioning child care system on federal dollars alone. If the provincial government refuses to invest additional provincial dollars into decent pay and space expansion, Ontario families will continue to be left on waitlists while child care rooms sit empty," said Straker.

The rally is being supported by a range of child care allies, including the Ontario Federation of Labour. “Affordable, accessible child care and good jobs go hand in hand. Early childhood educators and child care workers are essential to our communities and our economy, but we can’t build a strong child care system on the backs of struggling workers. They need wages they can live on,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Laura Walton. “The Ford government can protect Ontario’s economy by investing in services, $10-a-day child care, that will actually help working families.”

Advocates called on Premier Ford and Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra to start treating child care like the provincial responsibility that it is – and the economic priority that it should be.

“Education Minister Paul Calandra calls child care a federal program, but the families stuck on waitlists aren’t “federal” families, they are Ontario families, Waterloo families, Windsor families, and Sudbury families. There are ECEs in Toronto and Thunder Bay, and in the Minister’s riding of Stouffville who are waiting for the Ford government to understand that care counts, and to fund child care properly,” said Ferns.

Event Summary

• Event: Care Counts: Rally for Early Learning and Child Care
• Date & Time: Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT
• Location: South Lawn, Queen's Park, Toronto
• Visuals: Parachutes, banners, signs, early childhood educators, parents and children, speakers
• Key Speakers: Frontline child care workers, labour representatives, and parent leaders. MPPs representing each provincial party have been invited to share remarks.
  
  

Media Contacts:
Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
carolyn@childcareontario.org | 647-218-1275

Amber Straker, Executive Director Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario | astraker@aeceo.ca