TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 15, 2011) - Without a new public investment in the 2011 Provincial budget, Ontarians can expect to see child care fees increase from 15 to 30 per cent or cause some programs to close. The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Ontario Federation of Labour are launching a provincial tour to call on the Ontario Government to make affordable child care a public priority. 

In Ontario, only 20 per cent of children have access to a licensed child care space. Without subsidies that reduce fees to affordable levels, like those in Manitoba and Québec, many Ontario parents are paying between $40 and $60 a day for each child. At this rate, child care fees can run between $10,000 and $15,000 a year and are often the second highest expense for young families.

The provincial tour has already visited Belleville and Peterborough and will be in Orillia on Wednesday, February 16 to sound the alarm that a new financial crisis threatens Ontario's early learning and child care programs. The tour will visit Hamilton, Windsor, Kitchener, Sudbury and Ottawa over the coming month.

The Orillia community forum will highlight the local importance of child care and the specific challenges facing parents in region.