Daycare dilemma

Last month, Maclean’s published a cover story about Canada’s declining birth rate, and the rise of the “one-and-done” family. Several parents interviewed in that story said that having a second kid was just too expensive, given housing and childcare costs. Daycare fees can be prohibitive, especially for multiple kids. So when the Trudeau government introduced a more affordable $10-a-day daycare model, it seemed almost too good to be true.

Over the last few years, the program has been rolling out across the country with various degrees of success. Each province has operated a bit differently. Some parents are already seeing huge reductions in their fees. Others are stuck on ballooning waitlists. The most vocal critics of the program are the daycare operators themselves.

Sarah Hunter owns a daycare in Calgary. She's in favour of making daycare more affordable but, as she describes in an article for Maclean’s, she struggles to make her finances work under the program. She covers all her daycare’s operational costs up front, often relying on bank loans, then waits to be reimbursed by the province. That can take a while. She advocates for a new funding model in which the grant money goes directly to families.

The $10-a-day daycare project is a wildly ambitious enterprise that will likely take years to iron out. Hunter’s story is, I hope, a vivid and revealing illustration of a fixable problem, a bump in the road to a future of sustainable and affordable childcare in Canada.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

When their eldest daughter was priced out of the Ontario rental market, she moved back home—and the Ostrander bunch was packed into a crowded townhouse. They all ultimately headed to Fredericton, where their $645,000, five-bedroom bungalow comes with two acres, a large front porch and a huge deck with a hot tub. The change has been good for the whole family: they’ve installed a firepit and have plans to build garden beds and a chicken coop this summer.

Oguzhan Sert was 17 when he walked into a Toronto massage parlour and killed a female employee with a sword. The Crown argued the attack wasn’t just murder but an act of terror against women. The hard part would be proving it. In this gripping Maclean’s feature, writer Lana Hall—who spent five years working in massage parlours herself—delves into the landmark case that saw Sert convicted, plus the big questions around incel terrorism.

Getting into Canadian universities is much more complicated than it used to be. Thanks to widespread grade inflation, marks in the 90s are not enough to guarantee acceptance anymore. Some of the most competitive programs—in computer science, engineering and health sciences—turn away straight-A students. For insider tips on how to navigate this new reality, order the Ultimate Guide to Canadian Universities from Maclean’s now.

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