Residents of the RM of Ritchot will benefit for a second time from a daycare project initiative which comes as a collaborative effort between the provincial and federal governments.
Phase one of the Ready-to-Move (RTM) childcare project was announced last year. Applications from nine Manitoba municipalities and towns, including Ritchot, were approved for more than 650 new daycare spots.
In October 2022, Ritchot’s council announced a new 74-spot daycare facility designated for Île-des-Chênes.
On February 16, the provincial government announced the list of recipients for phase two of the same project. The community of St. Adolphe was on that list for another 74 spaces.
“I am proud to support increased childcare in our constituency,” says MLA Ron Schuler. “St. Adolphe is a growing, vibrant community, and I am happy to see that recognized with announcement of these new spaces.”
Ritchot mayor Chris Ewen says that council has chosen a location for the new facility but not the daycare provider at this stage. The site will be revealed to the public shortly.
“During my time as mayor, we have seen now three daycares come into Ritchot,” Ewen says. “This is an indication of the many young families choosing to be a part of our municipality and it will give them an opportunity to have their children closer to home. I’m grateful for the relationships the province and the federal government have with us and look forward to many more opportunities.”
The most recent announcement from the province will boost the number of daycare spots in Manitoba by 1,004, which will be housed in 14 new facilities.
“The Manitoba government is making investments to ensure families in rural and First Nations communities have access to affordable childcare,” says Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko. “To achieve this goal, our government is taking an innovative approach through ready-to-move construction technology to create childcare spaces more quickly.”
A total of $94 million in government funding is being invested across the two phases of daycare construction. Selected applicants are required only to provide their chosen daycare operator with a section of serviced land for use at no rent for the first 15 years.
As well, applicants must commit to providing building support services and ongoing maintenance and repairs to the facility.
It’s anticipated that all 23 new daycare centres from phases one and two of the project will be built and operational by the end of this year.
The RTM daycare project is modelled after a ready-built home philosophy where every facility is constructed at a central location and built with the same materials and specifications.
From there, they are transported to the various communities and placed on a waiting permanent foundation.
The RTM project is part of the Manitoba government’s greater commitment to develop 23,000 new childcare spaces for children under seven years of age by 2026.