At the outset, it may wish to invest in creating more spaces; other provinces, where more spaces exist, may wish to focus on accessibility. Nonetheless, this allows for flexibility in the provincial approaches to the problem but there are basic criteria that must be met.
With regard to direct funding to families, I can speak more specifically about the program for families: $100 a month per child under the age of six. Families have told us that they do appreciate the program. There might be enough left over after taxes to pay for the gas to take their children to child care but it does not in any way help them find a space when none are available. Even when they find a space, the cost of child care is about $12,000 a year. There is a large gap between these amounts.