British ColumbiaB.C.’s Sunshine Coast is losing a number of child care spots, as two YMCA facilities are set to close. The organization is blaming struggles attracting and retaining staff in the region.’I was suddenly launched into the unknown,’ says Sunshine Coast parent Donna Lynden after child care closureMichelle Gomez · CBC News · Posted: Sep 28, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoDonna Lynden and her husband are pictured with their two sons, now four and one year old. (Donna Lyndon)Sunshine Coast resident Donna Lynden was in her first week back at work from maternity leave, when she found out her one-year-old son’s child care program was closing.”I was suddenly launched into the unknown,” said Lynden. “It felt like this whole house of meticulously placed cards all came crashing down at once.”The YMCA’s infant and toddler child care programs in both West Sechelt and Gibsons, about 50 and 30 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, respectively, will be closed as of Oct. 1 due to a staffing shortage, according to a statement from the organization.It’s the latest knock to parents in need of child care in a region where services are stretched to the limit due to high housing costs, low supply, and worker shortages.”This decision was not taken lightly and we are working with a range of stakeholders to try and reopen these programs as soon as possible,” said the YMCA statement.Together, the programs provided care for 16 children under the age of three.Lynden said the closure undid more than a year of planning.She had enrolled her older son in a child care program with the YMCA in September 2024 — even though the family didn’t need child care at the time — just so her younger son would have a chance to get into the toddler program the following year when she was due to return to work.Following the closure, Lynden says she was lucky to find another spot for her younger son — but at a higher cost and reduced hours, forcing both her and her husband to adjust their work schedules. “We had to really beg and plead — I’m not joking when I say that — to find him a spot.”A group of parents on the Sunshine Coast, including Lynden, placed a banner outside the West Sechelt YMCA centre to draw attention to the need for more daycare spots. (Donna Lynden)YMCA said in its statement that high housing costs and low availability are a challenge in attracting and retaining staff on the Sunshine Coast.Additionally, it said a recent federal government program offering a clear path to permanent residency for child-care workers in northern B.C. prompted several of their early childhood educators (ECEs) to relocate this summer. “These are systemic issues that extend beyond this region and are affecting many communities across the province,” said the statement. Other communities in B.C. have reported child care shortages due to staffing and funding issues, including Kimberley, Kamloops and Metro Vancouver.A recent report found that B.C. has some of the most expensive child-care costs in the country. ‘A dire need’ for ECEsThe loss of these spots on the Sunshine Coast is another blow to a community where child care was already in short supply, says Gibsons Mayor Silas White.”We have a dire need on the Sunshine Coast,” said White, adding that ECEs on the peninsula need higher wages to keep up with housing costs.He says the city and province are working with YMCA to promote the job openings, and have had some success with applicants in the last week. He says a lack of child care has far-reaching consequences in a small community like Gibsons, especially if it means parents can’t work.”Many [parents] are really critical professionals to our community,” said White.”It’s so critical to keep people at work, especially in essential services — now they’re having to make different plans.” The B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care said staff have been working with YMCA, local government and the community to explore solutions, noting eight of the affected families have already found new child care arrangements. It said the province is taking steps to offer streamlined assessment processes for internationally educated ECEs, and is advocating for the federal government to increase B.C.’s allocation under the Provincial Nominee Program, which allows provinces to nominate people for permanent residency who have specific skills needed in the local job market.ABOUT THE AUTHORMichelle Gomez is a writer and reporter at CBC Vancouver. You can contact her at michelle.gomez@cbc.ca.
Staffing strains lead to loss of child care spots on Sunshine Coast
