A new child-care centre is expected to open at Burnaby's Christine Sinclair Community Centre in February, and registration is set to open early next month.
Some spaces in the facility will be reserved for City of Burnaby and Burnaby RCMP employees, but the majority will be available to the public, according to a city news release.
The new child care, with room for 25 kids aged 36 months to five years, will be operated by Burnaby Family Life, and families can register on the non-profit's website starting at 8 a.m. on Dec. 4.
The plan for the child care has changed several times.
During consultations for its July 2021 Child Care Action Plan, the city surveyed city and RCMP staff in November 2019 about their child-care needs.
Of 361 respondents, 197 said they had kids aged zero to five, and 73 of those parents said they'd use a city child care for "a reasonable and affordable fee in the vicinity of city hall and the city’s works yard."
"For employers, such as the City of Burnaby, the availability or quality, affordable child care can help in the recruitment and retention of employees," stated a staff report to council.
In May 2020, city council approved plans for a child-care centre for city and RCMP employee at 6570 Deer Lake Ave., but "further investigation" revealed the site wasn't big enough.
Council then approved plans for a 65-seat child care for city and RCMP employees at the Christine Sinclair Community Centre, which the city acquired in January 2021.
But "further detailed investigation" revealed putting a 65-seat child care into that facility would require "significant demolition of purpose-built medical assessment/treatment rooms," so council approved a 25-space child care instead.
At that time, council authorized staff to pursue construction of the 65-space centre either back at 6570 Deer Lake Ave., if the property next door at 6556 Deer Lake Ave. could be acquired, or at 4828 Rowan Ave.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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