Families across the Sunshine Coast are reeling after the YMCA announced the closure of its infant and toddler child care programs in West Sechelt and Gibsons, effective Oct. 1. The closure of the two programs is expected to eliminate approximately 16 to 24 child care spaces, based on typical YMCA class sizes and staffing ratios.
While care for children aged three to five will continue, dozens of families with infants and toddlers are now left without options in a region already facing a severe shortage of child care spaces.
“This is not just about one YMCA program,” said Chelsea Philip in a press release, a parent spokesperson. “They expose the cracks in our child care system. Families who have invested thousands of dollars and years of planning are being forced back into unsustainable schedules.”
The closures have sparked a wave of community action, including media outreach, email campaigns to local and provincial officials.
Parents say the crisis reflects deeper systemic issues in immigration, housing and workforce policy that threaten the province’s child care expansion goals.
“Our community is proof that expanding spaces on paper means nothing if we don’t have staff who can live and stay here,” said Donna Lynden, another parent spokesperson, in a press release.
Philip added, “Housing and affordability are cancelling out the benefits of wage enhancements. Even when staff want to stay here, they can’t find a place to live or earn enough to afford it.”
According to parents, many early childhood educators (ECEs) on the Coast are newcomers to Canada, working multiple jobs to make ends meet. “Our child care [educators] are working 35 hours a week, not a full 40 hours a week at the YMCA, and the majority of them have secondary jobs — McDonald’s, Independent, the pharmacy — that they are holding together as a community, in addition to their own young families,” Philip explained. “It certainly isn’t good mental health for anybody.”
The closures are already forcing families to reconfigure work schedules, with ripple effects across the local workforce. “When child care centres close, families — especially mothers — are forced out of the workforce. This has an immediate impact on local businesses, the health care system, and the broader economy,” Philip said in a release.
Parents are calling on the provincial and federal governments to take urgent action, including:
- Tying immigration programs to housing solutions for ECEs in rural and coastal communities.
- Fixing the immigration point system to better support regions like the Sunshine Coast.
- Accelerating the province-wide ECE wage grid.
- Funding targeted retention supports, such as housing subsidies and loan forgiveness.
- Protecting existing child care spaces, not just building new ones.
Philip emphasized the gravity in the release: “Without urgent government intervention, rural communities like ours will continue to lose access to the essential care we need to work, live, and contribute to society.”
Lynden and Philip also arranged a meeting with Sechelt Mayor John Henderson, in hopes of gaining support and momentum for their cause. “We’re just two moms trying to make a difference here,” Philip said. “We definitely have the ear to people and want to kind of strike while the iron is hot.”
In a follow-up email, Philip confirmed they connected with MP Patrick Weiler and MLA Randene Neill at the Labour Day event in Gibsons, where both officials acknowledged the issue and committed to joining a fact-finding meeting with the YMCA to explore immediate solutions. Lynden also highlighted that in less than 24 hours, parents launched a letter-writing campaign that generated over 20 emails from those most directly affected by the child care closures.
Municipal advocacy letter calls for emergency action
A draft letter put forward by the Town of Gibsons, with support from the District of Sechelt, calls on federal and provincial ministers to urgently address the child care crisis on the Sunshine Coast. It outlines the impact of the upcoming YMCA closures.
The municipalities argue that the Sunshine Coast faces a “perfect storm” of challenges — including high housing costs tied to Vancouver’s market, geographic isolation, and exclusion from rural workforce incentives. They cite data showing that only 30 per cent of child care spaces and 22 per cent of ECE positions are filled locally, compared to much higher rates in Northern B.C.
The draft outlines four key requests:
- Fix immigration incentives to attract ECEs to the Sunshine Coast
- Protect existing child care spaces through an emergency stabilization fund
- Tie ECE recruitment to housing solutions such as staff housing or allowances
- Accelerate the ECE wage grid by implementing a universal, province-wide grid with competitive compensation.
The letter also notes that while both municipalities are actively pursuing new child care spaces and workforce housing, the sudden loss of existing programs undermines long-term progress. “Without urgent intervention, families will continue to scramble, essential services will be stretched, and our communities and economy will fall further behind,” the letter states.
Gibsons Mayor Silas White told Coast Reporter the closures have become the community’s top concern, and emphasized the importance of coordinated advocacy. “Everybody’s on board as elected officials here and trying to address this crisis and work with the parents on bringing this to the attention of the provincial and federal governments,” he said.
White also commended the efforts of local families: “It’s pretty amazing — these parents are taking care of their kids, working jobs, and now they’ve taken on this very stressful and unexpected advocacy project.”
Mayor John Henderson told Coast Reporter, “We have to do everything we can to keep the younger generation and their children in Sechelt,” he said. “We’re one of the oldest communities in the province, and that puts added pressure on us to be more welcoming for families.”
Henderson also stressed the urgency of the situation, saying, “I hope the province sees this as a matter of extreme urgency. It’s an emergency that we cannot have these daycare spots closed. They’ve got to stay open.”
In an email to Coast Reporter, Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, said,
“I understand that news of these child care programs ending can be deeply stressful for families who now face the challenge of finding new arrangements for their children,” she said. “Last week, the YMCA informed the ministry of their decision to close their infant/toddler programs in West Sechelt and Gibsons due to staffing shortages. I have directed ministry staff to reach out to the provider to explore potential solutions.
“I want to thank my colleague, Minister Randene Neill, who represents Powell River-Sunshine Coast, for her strong advocacy for the families affected.
“Our government recognizes how important access to child care is for families and communities. That’s why we continue to invest in recruiting and retaining early childhood educators (ECEs) by expanding public post-secondary ECE program spaces, supporting professional development, enhancing wages, and piloting a wage grid to support fair and sustainable compensation across the sector.”
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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