Latest news with #BrendanMaguire
CBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.S. needs more 'help' from Ottawa to hit $10-a-day child care, says minister
Nova Scotia's minister of education and early childhood development says the province will need more "help" from Ottawa to achieve $10-a-day child care by March 2026. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Brendan Maguire said the province is on track to reach its goal of 9,500 child-care spaces by that time — with 7,000 already created — but that additional "teamwork" with the federal government is required to hit the monetary target. "There's a few things. It's not just money. But we realize that there is a role for private sector in this in order for us to achieve what we need to achieve," Maguire said. "So there's lots of things we're discussing, whether it's funding, it's private sector, it's space." Nova Scotia signed a $605-million deal with Ottawa in 2021 to create 9,500 spaces by March 2026. Other than paying for expansions, the money has also been used to drive down the cost of child care to parents, with a goal of having families pay an average of $10 a day for care. Last year, the federal government rejected Nova Scotia's plea to extend daycare expansion funds to private operators. Maguire suggested Ottawa could be more open to it now. "The main goal of this child-care agreement is to ensure that parents get safe, affordable child-care spaces," he said. "In other jurisdictions, private sector does play a small role. We're in discussion to see what we can do for a Nova Scotia solution to ensure that. We need to get to those spaces and we need to get to $10 a day and we're looking at every option." A report released Wednesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that Halifax has some of the highest child-care fees in the country, ranking sixth highest among 35 cities. The median cost of daycare per child per day in Halifax is $24. High cost of living Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Maguire refused to answer why child-care costs are so much higher in this province. "We have an enormously high cost of living, it's as expensive to live here as it is in Toronto, and that's only taking into account transportation and housing. When you add daycare on top of that, it's a punishing amount for working families and we deserve to know why," Chender told reporters on Thursday. Chender said it doesn't seem likely Nova Scotia will reach $10-a-day child care by March 2026. Derek Mombourquette, the interim leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and the former provincial education minister who signed the child-care agreement, said he's hopeful the province will hit the target. "I am happy to see the minister actually celebrating the deal that the premier has criticized for years. So I would say one of the challenges, if we don't hit that benchmark, is because he's been so critical of it. It's been a constant fight with Ottawa since the deal was signed," Mombourquette said.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
New 104-space daycare to be built at Cape Breton University
Cape Breton University is seen in this undated file photo. A new child-care centre with 104 spaces is coming to Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S. The Nova Scotia government announced the new centre, which is a partnership between the province and the university, Friday morning. The facility will be built on the CBU campus, behind the new medical school. It will offer spots and programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. 'Access to affordable, high-quality child care is essential for families to thrive,' said David Dingwall, the president and vice-chancellor of Cape Breton University in a news release. 'Expanding our daycare program is about more than just increasing seats, it's about supporting parents, empowering students and helping our community grow stronger together.' The province says the project is part of its efforts to expand access to child care, supported through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. 'We're improving access to child care, which means families will have the support they need close to home and work,' said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Brendan Maguire. The news comes after the province announced last week it would be opening a 104-space daycare on the St. Francis Xavier University campus in Antigonish. Nova Scotia has signed a five-year extension to the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, worth more than $1 billion total. The province says the extended agreements will be in place until March 31, 2031. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
03-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Nova Scotia served more than 4.7M lunches to students last school year
The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program served thousands of students in 2024-2025. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia) Nova Scotia served more than 4.7 million lunches to students in the first year of its school food program, which is aiming to expand across the province in the fall. The province says the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program was available to more than 75,000 students in 256 schools during the 2024-2025 academic year. The bulk of the orders in the program came from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, which served nearly two million lunches. The most popular item was cheese pizza, which had 390,000 servings. West Bedford School ordered the most lunches at 73,000 while Pleasant Bay School in Inverness County saw the highest consistent program participation at 80 per cent of the students. 'I am thrilled with the success of the first year of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program and can't wait for school communities to see a bigger and better program next fall,' said Brendan Maguire, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, in a news release. Nova Scotia is receiving $12.4 million over three years through the National School Food Program to enhance school food initiatives. Next school year, the province is spending $80 million on the program, which is expanding to all middle and junior high schools, serving more than 104,000 students at 334 schools. The program will also make changes this fall, including: improved delivery and service standards sustainable packaging kid-approved menu options a more seamless ordering experience For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New child-care centre with 104 spaces coming to St. Francis Xavier University
L-R: Andy Hakin, President and Vice-Chancellor of StFX; Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness and MLA for Antigonish; and Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, hold a rendering of the new child-care centre. (Province of Nova Scotia) A new child-care centre at St. Francis Xavier University will create 104 daycare spaces in Antigonish, N.S. The Nova Scotia government is partnering with St. FX for the project, which will see an existing building on campus removed to make space for the new facility. 'Once constructed, the new child-care centre at StFX will make a big difference for parents and students in the community, helping them save thousands of dollars on child-care costs,' said federal Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu in a statement Monday. The province says the centre will offer spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The university will maintain the facility once construction is complete. 'Antigonish needs more access to child care, and I'm pleased that our government and StFX are able to deliver solutions for our community,' said Antigonish MLA Michelle Thompson on behalf of Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Brendan Maguire. The government says St. FX is currently preparing for the centre's operation and a public process for selecting a child-care service provider. CTV News has reached out to the province for a timeline of the project. The centre is part of the provincial government's efforts to expand access to child care through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. Nova Scotia has signed a five-year extension to the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, worth more than $1 billion total. The extended agreements will be in place until March 31, 2031. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Additional Francophone childcare spaces open in Antigonish County
More Francophone childcare spaces will be accessible for families in Antigonish County, N.S., through a new centre operated by the Centre d'appui à la petite enfance de la Nouvelle-Écosse. 'The demand for childcare spaces in Antigonish continues to grow,' said Brendan Maguire, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. 'This expansion responds to long-standing challenges faced by local families, who have had limited access to francophone childcare in their community.' The centre will be co-located on Conseil scolaire acadien provincial property at École acadienne de Pomquet, a new release said. The centre will receive $3.5 million from the province for the project, which will provide 40 new childcare spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. It is expected to open next spring. 'Childcare has a profound influence on children's overall development, including their language skills and identity,' said Jaime Battiste, member of parliament for Cape Breton–Canso–Antigonish, on behalf of Patty Hajdu, federal minister of jobs and families. 'This investment will provide 40 new childcare spaces and help meet the needs of francophone families in Antigonish. With Nova Scotia, we are adding to the nearly 7,000 childcare spaces already announced, so more families in Nova Scotia can save thousands of dollars every year on childcare.' The funding is through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. Nova Scotia has signed a five-year extension to the agreement as well as the Child Care Agreement and the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, worth more than $1 billion total. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
