This past weekend Shella-Ann Schinck of Sherbrooke coordinated a peaceful demonstration in front of the Rock Forest offices of Richmond MNA André Bachand to express frustration at the lack of daycare service for parents in the region. Attended by some sixty people, including daycare workers, parents, and other concerned citizens, the gathering was mean to raise the alarm about the childcare needs of parents in the region. “Parents are making tens or even hundreds of calls and there are very few options,” said Schinck, explaining that she was inspired to organizer the event out of frustration one day at seeing the large number of Facebook pages dedicated to parents looking for daycare spots. “Parents are feeling the need to do more to be heard,” she said, noting that the demonstration comes in addition to a letter-writing campaign and petitions that are circulating at the moment. The problem, according to Schinck, is broad. Although the province of Quebec has a service to help connect parents seeking childcare to daycare centres, it is not unusual for children to age out of the need before a call comes in due to the shortage of spaces available. See full story in the Tuesday, Feb. 25 edition of The Record.
