New Ontario rules to ban child-care wait list fees

Proposed new regulations in Ontario would ban licensed child-care providers from making parents pay fees just to put their kids on a waiting list.

Education Minister Liz Sandals says parents tend to put their children on multiple wait lists, and if they are forced to pay fees for each one, "that's just not fair."

She says the regulations are worded to anticipate "wiggle room" that providers might look for, so they will also ban the charging of fees to come off a wait list and charging a deposit to be guaranteed a spot.

The regulations will apply to licensed child-care centres and home-care agencies, but not unlicensed providers people who care for up to five children in their own home.

Sandals says wait list fees didn't seem to be a problem in the unlicensed sector.

The regulations have to be posted for comment for 45 days, then they will go through other steps, but Sandals says the intent is to have the new rules in place for Sept. 1.