As Niagara families confront the summer child care squeeze, with providers barely running at 60% due to staff shortages, I am troubled and so should you be. Remarkably, two thirds of our Niagara ECE graduates are international students. The minister should be deeply concerned about retaining these graduates in Ontario.

Minister, how can we expect to keep our trained ECEs with a base salary of $19, $6 less than any other province’s? Fourteen months post our federal child care agreement, through you, Speaker, I ask, will the minister present a clear timeline for a workforce strategy to secure essential child care for our families here in Ontario?