A bilateral agreement between federal and provincial governments means more than 1,000 child care spaces will be added to Manitoba in the next year.
The second phase of the “ready to move” project includes 14 rural and First Nations communities in Manitoba, stretching all the way from Melita to Norway House Cree Nation.
The projects are designed so the 1,004 spots in Phase 2 will be accessible within a year of their being announced.
“The ready-to-move pilot project is another example of how the Canada-wide system leverages innovation and collaboration between federal, provincial, municipal and First Nations communities to ensure that every family, no matter where they live, has access to high-quality and affordable child care,” said federal families minister Karina Gould in a statement Thursday.
Areas with a demonstrated need for child-care spaces were given priority.
Construction has already begun on nine sites announced during the project’s first phase, and is scheduled to begin at the remaining sites in late spring.
The projected overall total number of spaces to be made available when the program’s phases are complete is 1,670, via 23 new centres.