August 20, 2026
Nova Scotia families are still waiting for the $10-a-day childcare they were promised, while the Houston government continues to rely on a fee system that allows childcare providers to set their own prices.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ latest childcare fee report finds that Nova Scotia and British Columbia are the only provinces still relying on market fees, meaning the amount parents pay can vary from one provider to the next. The report says this has resulted in the most complex systems for parents and some of the highest fees in the country. In Halifax, the median fee for an infant space is $23 a day, while a preschool space costs $22 a day.
“Nova Scotia families were promised $10-a-day child care, and they were promised it by March of this year. They didn’t get it,” said Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin. “Instead, parents are left trying to navigate a patchwork system where the cost can depend on which provider they happen to get a space with. That’s not what a universal childcare system should look like.”
The report finds that most provinces and territories have now moved away from market-based fees and toward provincially set fees, creating a simpler and more predictable system for families. It specifically identifies moving away from market fees as an important first step for Nova Scotia.
“Families need a child-care system where they know what they’re going to pay before they walk through the door,” said Rankin. “Nova Scotia needs to set clear fees and put strong guardrails around public funding so that affordability is protected. Most other provinces in Canada have achieved this goal. There’s no reason Nova Scotia can’t either.”