The numbers were released in a freedom of information response to the advocacy group Mackenzy’s Legacy. The documents showed 71 stop orders were issued for overcapacity issues and 21 for imminent threat — one was issued for both. Jen Woolfsmith, co-founder of Mackenzy’s Legacy, called the numbers shocking and heartbreaking.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
A stop order issued over an imminent threat if the conduct of a provider or the conditions of the daycare environment poses a threat to the health, safety or well-being. Examples of such threats include environmental safety hazards, physical punishment or a lack of supervision or medical care.Article content
Shelby Stewart, co-founder of Mackenzy’s Legacy, said the stop order system is reactive rather than one that proactively stops children from being put in harm’s way. Stewart and Woolfsmith said that while legislation around child care was amended in 2021, they feel as though unlicensed practices are being put on the back burner and safety issues at such locations still need to be addressed.
“The majority of our kids are currently in this care and will be for the foreseeable future. With the way our child-care system is set up, we have to stop ignoring unlicensed care,” said Stewart. “We have always said, from the beginning of our advocacy work, we do support unlicensed care — we see the value in it, it fits for families . . . but we have an obligation to make sure there’s oversight and regulation for that type of care.