EXCERPTS
Burnaby is making moves to triple its city-funded childcare spaces, building up to 12 new facilities, without going to taxpayers.
The city and the school board voted this week to partner up for an innovative project and Burnaby Councillor Colleen Jordan says the cash comes from developers who have had to pay into amenity bonus funds.
"This is not part of the tax-base of the city. This is money we are acquiring by allowing additional density in neighbourhoods, in our high rise developments," Jordan tells News1130.
That pays for the capital costs and the school district is providing the property for the child care spaces.
"They have the land available, we are putting up the money for the capital, and then we'll engage not-for-profits in the city which already provide childcare to operate the programs," she says.
Jordan says Burnaby already operates five child care facilities, located in residential developments.
"But on this occasion, we took the money from the developers rather than have the childcare centres built within developments because we thought we could get more ‘bang for the buck' by doing it this way and partnering with the school district."
The new child care centres will be housed in specially adapted portables which will cost around $600,000 each, but Jordan says the project allows them to house ten times the number of children for the equivalent value of regular city-funded childcare.
"That was our objective and it looks like we may get there."
Up to 500 new city-funded childcare spaces are to be made available in Burnaby in the coming years.
Construction could begin by 2016.
Read online at News1130