Canada Adds 1,180 Child Care Spaces in B.C. Schools and Saskatchewan Campuses

Funded through joint federal–provincial programs, the expansions advance Canada’s 250,000-space child care target for March 2026.

Overview

British Columbia will add 640 licensed spaces on school grounds across 12 communities with more than $23.5 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces program, with families eligible for fee reductions of up to $900 per child per month when centres open.
Six Vancouver Island schools will provide 270 of the new B.C. spaces, with locations including Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet and Victoria.
Saskatchewan will create 540 spaces at Saskatchewan Polytechnic campuses in Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, plus Northlands College in La Ronge, through a $10.8 million federal Infrastructure Fund investment.
Thirty percent of Saskatchewan’s new seats are reserved for families facing access barriers, including children with disabilities, and the centres will serve as hands-on training sites for early childhood education students.
As of August 2025, provinces and territories have announced measures to create more than 166,000 new spaces under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system.