Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Oct 28/05) - There were hugs and tears all around as the only daycare centre in Fort Smith closed last Friday.

Amid the emotion displayed by staff and parents at the Rainbow Child Care and Development Centre, a dozen or so children at a Halloween party appeared oblivious to the impending closure.

Aimee Clark, the day care's president and volunteer acting director, tried to explain to one little girl that the day care was closing.

"What about Monday?" the child innocently asked.

Clark tried to lighten the mood on the day by wearing a wedding dress-style outfit, complete with musical notes drawn on a sash and on her face. She had vowed during the lead-up to the closure that it was not over until the fat lady sings. "I'm the fat lady singing."

However, that only briefly lightened the mood. "I feel horrible," Clark said.

Clark blames insufficient GNWT funding for the closure, arguing for support based on the number of spaces in a day care. Currently, subsidies are based on attendance.

However, others -- including some former board members -- blame financial mismanagement at the day care, which employed six full or part-time childcare workers, plus a janitor. (See Letter to the Editor page 14)

The centre is about $30,000 in debt after operating for a year and a half.

Michelle Firth, an Aurora College student from Inuvik, is sorry to see the closure. She has turned to a family member to help with caring for her three-year-old daughter Chanelle. "I'm flying my sister in from out of town," she said.

Suzanne Burke, a nurse, called the closure devastating. "I'm being forced to take time off because I don't have child care," she said, noting she will be off work Monday and Tuesday. "Beyond that, I don't know."

Burke, who had her two-year-old daughter Danika at the day care, has been on a waiting list for a day home for two years. Fort Smith has three licensed day homes with 24 spaces.

The Rainbow day care made unsuccessful last-minute appeals to government for financial support. The day care's equipment will be sold to help pay off the debt.

Aurora College said, as of Friday, all but three of its 11 students using the day care have made alternate arrangements. Of the daycare's 27 registered children, 18 are dependents of students.

Tim Gauthier, the college's manager of public and corporate affairs, said at least two students have been moved into larger residences to accommodate relatives to care for children and a list of day homes and unregistered babysitters has been prepared.

The college's $1-a-year lease of space to the day care expires Nov. 30.

Gauthier said the college might help another day care become established. "If a credible local organization came forward, we would be happy to look at their proposal."

In the Legislative Assembly on last week, Education, Culture and Employment Minister Charles Dent was peppered with questions and accusations of incompetence by Yellowknife MLA Sandy Lee. Lee wanted Dent's department to step in and save the day care and provide more money for day care operators.

Dent stood firm on letting the day care close, saying the department had done all it could and to do more would be to favour one centre over all the other ones in the territory. He acknowledged the day cares need more funding but blamed the federal government for not coming through with more money.

"I'm hoping that we will be able to make changes to this program in this current fiscal year," Dent said. "The only way we can do that is if we can come to a satisfactory agreement with the federal government. Failing that, it would be my intention to move on improvements within our next budget."

The three territories argue money for the North under Ottawa's $5-billion, five-year child care and early education fund should not be per-capita based. The territories have refused per-capita funding.

Dent added it has been three years since there was an increase -- about 60 per cent -- in the GNWT's subsidy program for day cares.