CCPA fee report: most Canadian families still pay well above $10 a day
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its 2026 child care fee report on August 19, tracking median licensed fees across 35 major Canadian cities five years into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program. Authors David Macdonald and Martha Friendly find real progress on affordability, but conclude that most families are still not paying $10 a day.
Infant fees have reached $10 a day in 11 of the 35 cities, including St. John’s, Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon and Iqaluit. Alberta cities sit at $15 a day, Ontario cities at $22 a day, and Halifax at $23 a day, while B.C. remains the outlier with infant fees ranging from $28 a day in Kelowna to $52 a day in Richmond.
Measured against 2019 fees adjusted for inflation, Toronto parents of infants are saving more than $1,800 a month, and most other cities save $500 to $1,000. The report notes that little changed in the past year on market fees or low-income affordability, and argues the next stage of the system needs a long-term plan and provincial investment alongside the federal $5.4 billion announced in June.
Source: CCPA – The $10-a-day divide: Child care fees in Canada in 2026
