“This is unacceptable”
Pontiac MNA André Fortin voices displeasure at withdrawal of Shawville daycare project
Connor Lalande
Pontiac September 18, 2023
The Quebec government has withdrawn from a project that would have seen the development of 43 day care centres throughout the province, including one in Shawville.
With childcare availability within the province an issue on the minds of many parents, the CAQ government announced that it would be withdrawing from the project due to budgetary costs that exceeded expectations, according to the Association québécoise des centres de la petite enfance (AQCPE), an advocacy organization for early childhood education in Quebec.
In a press release made available by the AQCPE, General Manager Sandro di Cori struck a disappointed but hopeful tone in her response to the postponement of the project.
“This is not the scenario we had envisaged. We’d like to reassure you about the future. It’s a blow, but we’ll adapt quickly. I have confidence in my infrastructure team and the network’s determination to work with us to find solutions tailored to each and every one of you,” she said.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin was less charitable in his assessment of the government’s decision. In a Facebook post, Fortin criticized the CAQ government’s failure in providing childcare to parents in the region and vowed to press the issue during the autumn legislative session.
“This is terrible news for Pontiac parents who were awaiting this project. The daycare was initially supposed to open this fall. Now, there is no timeline. No need to remind you that some nurses (and many other parents) in our region are currently not working as they don’t have daycare spots,” wrote André Fortin in a Facebook post.
“This is unacceptable. We will continue to hound the CAQ on this file, as these places in Shawville are urgent and indispensable,” he wrote.
