Manitoba aiming for more child-care spaces with new tax credit

Qualico, a construction company in Winnipeg will be the first private company to benefit from the Manitoba government's new Child Care Centre Development Tax Credit.

Families minister Heather Stefanson and finance minister Scott Fielding made the announcement today, the province will provide $740,000 to help create 74 new child-care spaces at a non-profit centre that is being built by Qualico in Sage Creek.

The refundable tax credit isto help with the creation of licensed child-care centres in work places and supports partnerships with the private sector to help encourage more child-care spaces for Manitoba families.

"Qualico is building a new non-profit childcare centre that will benefit their employees and their Sage Creek families, it will serve as a model for other projects across Manitoba because of its unique partnership with the private sector," said Stefanson.

She says there's a need for childcare in several parts of Manitoba, particularly in new neighbourhoods such as Sage Creek that are home to many young families in our province.

The new centre will be a first for Qualico and a first for Manitoba.

It will have both a daycare for the community and a worksite child-care centre for Qualico. Construction started in the fall and will accommodate 16 infant and 58 preschool spaces, and feature an extended outdoor play area.

"It's important that we consider all of our options to encourage investment in childcare centres to meet the diverse needs of Manitoba families," she said.

The province is committed to help create 200 child-care spaces through the new tax credit.

"The tax credit will help create more childcare spaces for Manitoba and provide for some long term support for the community, as we know that it's a growing need," said Fielding.

The goal of the program is to develop a lot more child-care spaces and is available for corporations that are not primarily engaged in child-care services. It will provide approved applicants $10,000 for each new licensed child-care space created after March 12, 2018 and before 2021.

Through the tax credit, a child-care centre within the city must have at least 74 spaces and 52 spaces outside the city.

"We've gotten a lot of interest from workplaces across Manitoba that are interested in a program like this," Fielding said.

"We do really take the idea of building complete communities to heart and complete communities not only involve a place to work and play and live, but to also go to school and daycare is hugely central to all that," said Eric Vogan, vice-president of community development, Qualico.