Community members packed the Nov. 6 North Cowichan council meeting to voice their views on plans for a new daycare facility in Crofton.
The proposed facility would be in partnership with the Chemainus Crofton Community Schools Association (CCSA), a not-for-profit organization that operates existing after school programs at both Crofton and Chemainus Elementary schools, as well as the Eagle Wings preschool program, summer camps and professional development day camps. If it goes ahead, the facility would provide 44 new childcare spaces.
John T. Ivison, a Crofton resident and retired engineer, presented a petition opposing the proposed facility and requested that council conduct an external traffic study to assess the potential impacts of the daycare.
At the time of his presentation, Ivison’s petition had garnered 39 signatures from Crofton residents. Ivison told council that his intention was to provide background information and context on the project.
Speaking on behalf of those who signed the petition, Ivison said their opposition is due to significant concerns about traffic congestion, environmental impact and disruption to community resources. They argue that the facility’s location will create gridlock on a rural street without proper sidewalks or infrastructure to support the increase in traffic. Ivison estimated the increase in traffic to be approximately 190 additional cars daily based on four visits per family each day.
“The main concern is we feel that the boardwalk is going to be disproportionately affected. The pickup and drop-off of 44 children at a dead-end situation with a turnaround at the end of the road… it's a counter flow situation."
Ivison stated that the proposed site would also disrupt the use of nearby Crofton Beach Park, a valued community space, impacting families, seniors, and dog walkers who frequent the park. Additionally, he highlighted noise concerns, potential safety risks and insufficient play space which could lead to daycare-related activities spilling into the park as well as potential impacts on wildlife and an archaeological First Nations midden beneath the park.
Ivison emphasized that the opposition is not to a daycare facility itself, but to the proposed location.
Other local residents addressed council as part of the public input section of the meeting, speaking in support of the daycare centre.
“We no longer live in communities where families can be supported by one income. Most families need two working adults contributing financially to the household," Lara White, an early childhood educator and resident of Chemainus told council. "Young families are struggling today in a far greater way than they have in generations past, and a local care program run by a not-for-profit society that has been contributing to the children and families of the Cowichan Valley for over 15 years will give high-quality affordable childcare options to the people who live and work right here. This is precisely how we take care of one another and our communities.”
Chemainus resident and mother of two Klarissa Stone told council that her child spends an extra hour per day in childcare because of the twice-daily commute required between their home in Chemainus, their daycare in Ladysmith and Stone's job in Duncan.
“Over a year, this is almost 300 additional hours spent without us because of the lack of licensed childcare centres in our area. This is not by choice or lack of trying. When it was time for me to return to work, I was left with un-returned phone calls and wait list follow-ups where I was number 147 out of over 200,” said Stone.
Adriana Soler spoke on behalf of the Cowichan branch of Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia about the “desperate need” for childcare in the area.
“We are considered a childcare desert in the Cowichan Valley, North Cowichan, in particular...Currently at the centre I work at we have 186 children on just my infant-toddler wait list,” said Soler.
Addressing long wait lists for childcare spots, Laura Court talked about the impact this lack of childcare has on the local workforce.
“We have local Facebook pages that are just filled with families right now that are pleading in desperation [because] they can't go back to work. They've had their child on wait lists since they started their pregnancies and they're still so far down on the wait list,” Court said.
Mary Dolan, now retired after 50 years as an early childhood educator, emphasized the broader importance of the issue.
“Children are not a commodity but are being served in a way which is going to benefit the whole of society later on if we do it right from the beginning. We need it, families need it, the economy needs it.”
The Chemainus Community Schools Association has organized its own petition in response to Ivison’s. At the time of writing, CCSA’s petition had 427 signatures in support of the daycare.
According to an update on the petition site, CCSA plans to give a presentation at the Nov. 20 council meeting and present their petition to council.
