In 2023, the Saskatchewan government was quick to claim credit as one of the earliest provinces to introduce $10 per day childcare fees as part of its Early Learning and Child Care agreement (CWELCC) with the federal government. But in many ways, reducing fees was the easier part of the agreement. The harder part was ensuring that enough new childcare spaces would be created to ensure families would have access to affordable care. Daily childcare fees don’t mean much to a family that cannot find a space for their child.
To boot, the province set an ambitious goal of nearly tripling the number of licensed child care spaces in the province. But so far the space creation targets are well off the mark. So, while the Saskatchewan government deserves praise for meeting its target of $10 per day fees early and setting ambitious goals, it should also be held responsible for its failure to meet its own targets for new space creation, at least so far.
The numbers are dismal. As David Macdonald illustrates in his new report on child care access, Saskatchewan had promised to create 22,767 new child care spaces by 2024-25. Instead, the government managed to create only 5,648 new full-time spaces by that date. Moreover, the government’s 2026 targets of 28,000 new spaces looks to be increasingly out of reach without a massive effort to create new spaces over the next few months. Unfortunately, the government’s sluggish approach to space creation has consequences for child care access throughout the province.
Saskatchewan continues to be home to widespread “child care deserts,” regions where there are less than three nearby licensed spaces per 10 children. While new spaces have improved access, Saskatchewan is still the province with the largest proportion of its child population living in child care deserts, at 51 per cent. Access in rural areas of the province is particularly limited, with 70 per cent of children in rural Saskatchewan living in a child care desert. This doesn’t have to be a reality in rural communities, with smart planning and policy, other provinces like Quebec and Newfoundland have reduced their child care deserts to 30 per cent of rural areas.
Even in larger urban areas in Saskatchewan, access can be difficult if not impossible. Estevan, Martensville, Yorkton and Warman are some of Saskatchewan’s least accessible cities and towns, with fully 100 per cent of their preschool age children living in a childcare desert. Swift Current boasts the best access in the province, with 87 per cent of the city with adequate (5.9 spaces per ten children) coverage. Regina and Saskatoon have improved their access since 2023, but are still home to significant child care deserts, with 47 per cent of children in Saskatoon living in a child care desert versus 38 per cent in Regina. Saskatoon will need an additional 4,935 spaces to reach adequate coverage, while Regina will require an additional 3,413 spaces. There is a lot more work to do to ensure access throughout the province.
Affordable child care without sufficient access to spaces in childcare facilities is a false promise. If Saskatchewan wishes to attract young working families with children to the province it cannot pretend to provide affordable child care without commensurate access. The government showed that it can respond quickly and decisively to childcare needs when it was one of the first provinces to meet the $10 per day fee target. We need to see the same determination and willingness from the government to ensure that child care in the province is not only affordable, but also readily accessible.
