Ontario and feds to enter 'next phase' of child-care deal negotiations, officials say

The federal government says Ontario submitted its spending plan for billions of dollars in proposed child-care funding"late last week."

Negotiations on the proposed $10-a-day child-care deal are able to "move to the next phase" now that Ontario has submitted its plan,a spokeswoman for Families Minister Karina Gould said Tuesday.

Mohammad Hussain said in an email that all provincial and territorial governments were asked to submit plans on how they would meet objectives set by the federal government.

Ottawa's goals for the funding include reducing fees by an average of 50 per cent by the end of this year and getting fees to an average of $10 per day by 2026.

Ontario is the only province that has yet to strike a deal with Ottawa on the child-care plan, after all other provinces and territories signed on.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says all plans requested by the federal government have been submitted.