Whitehorse daycare owners to rally on Friday

Licensed daycare operators in Whitehorse will open late tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to participate in a rally for more funding from the Yukon government.

Government subsidies for licensed daycares haven't increased in five years, however the YukonChild CareAssociation says costs have gone up steadily.

Cyndi Desharnais, chair of the Yukon Child Care Association, said daycare operators have been trying for years to get the government to listen and feel they have to take action to get attention.

The association is urging parents to bring their children and join the rally Friday morning. It starts at 8 a.m. at Shipyards Park and ends at the Yukon territorial government building. She said daycares will be opening late but that parents have been notified and no daycares will be closing their doors or turning children away.

Desharnais said a similar rally is being held in Dawson City. The association said the situation is the same in communities across the territory.