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MORE CHILDCARE SPACES COMING TO LANGFORD

(Langford, B.C.)—On Tuesday, March 25th, Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, announced that the City of Langford will receive approximately $7.1 million from the ChildCareBC 2024-25 New Spaces Fund grant to establish 73 childcare spaces in a new development being built on 2805 Carlow Road.

“In high-growth communities like Langford throughout B.C., our government is helping hard-working British Columbians save thousands of dollars a year by making critical investments in child care,” said Lisa Beare, B.C.’s Minister of Education and Child Care. “Thanks to our investment of an additional $7 million dollars from the New Spaces Fund to the City of Langford, hundreds of families in the area will have access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care.”

The event was attended by Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests and MLA for Langford-Highlands, along with Langford Mayor and Council, who were delighted to receive the good news.

This funding announcement builds on the $6.2 million grant from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund the City received last summer for 49 new childcare spaces.

The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2030-2031 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The City is in the process of finalizing the location for these 49 new spaces. Engaging in discussions and building working relationships with different levels of government during a UBCM conference was an important factor in obtaining these grants.

“Increasing childcare spaces is a top priority for Council, as outlined in Langford’s first Strategic Plan. These ongoing collaborative efforts with partners aim to address the needs of Langford’s growing population, especially as more families move to the area,” said Scott Goodmanson, Mayor of Langford.

This announcement builds on the previously announced Indigenous Housing Fund project, which plans to include 40 housing units and a 73-unit childcare center at the Carlow Road site, in partnership with M’akola Housing Society—the largest Indigenous housing provider in B.C. The project is currently within the design and development process with BC Housing, and is subject to change.

The City of Langford acknowledges the important role of the Centennial Centre for Arts, Culture & Community, which is currently located at this site and operated by West Shore Parks & Recreation Society. This Centre is widely used for a variety of arts activities, catering to a range of age groups. The City is collaborating with partners to find the best solution for a new location. Further details will be provided in the coming months.

“Council is dedicated to constructing a state-of-the-art studio of comparable size, whether as part of this project or at an alternative location. I want to assure residents that the City fully appreciates the significance and value of the art studio within this community, and we will find a solution that works best for the community,” added Mayor Goodmanson.

The City is currently developing an Arts and Culture Strategy to identify opportunities for expanded arts and cultural activities in Langford, supporting the needs of a growing and diverse community. For more information, please register at LetsChatLangford.ca.

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LEARN MORE:

• Since 2018, ChildCareBC accelerated space creation programs have helped fund the creation of more than 40,000 new licensed child care spaces in B.C., with more than 23,000 of these open and providing care for children.
• Funding the creation of new child care spaces is part of the Province’s ChildCareBC plan to build access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care as a core service families can rely on.
• Click here to view the provincial news release issued by the Ministry of Education and Child Care regarding investments in childcare.
• Click here to view the provincial news release issued by the Ministry of Housing regarding the new Indigenous Housing for 40 units of housing at this site.

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