Like so many British Columbians, Pemberton families have experienced the paucity of available childcare spaces in their area and the difficulties associated with this reality. Elected representatives have responded by officially making daycare expansion a matter of primary concern.
On Jan. 24, mayor and council heard a brief presentation from CAO Elizabeth Tracy that formally introduced the Village of Pemberton’s (VOP) council priorities for 2023, and listed the scope and direction of future daycare expansion as a top project priority for the year to come.
In answering a question from Pique Newsmagazine, councillors emphasized the process will not be instantaneous and tentatively put forth a potential completion date of January 2024 for the much-needed initiative. Pre-load has already been placed at a site near the Pemberton Children’s Centre (PCC), with the project team getting ready to bring in modular buildings and establish a foundation at the appropriate time.
“[Creating more childcare spaces] is one of our top priorities, and it’s one of the projects in the centre of [VOP staff’s] desk,” said Mayor Mike Richman. “We’re doing what we can to move it along.”
In April 2022, the VOP finally managed to secure funding for the purpose of expanding the community’s current childcare facilities. More than $2.77 million obtained through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund has been committed to building 50 new daycare spaces in the vicinity of the PCC. These spaces are meant for kids aged three to five and—if built as planned—would increase Pemberton’s ratio of licensed childcare spaces per 100 children to 18.7. In comparison, the provincial average is 18.4. The national average is 27.2.
The money was a significant breakthrough for the Village, which had applied for funding three previous times since 2018, only to be repeatedly denied due to the project’s high cost-per-space.
Since then, more challenges have presented themselves. Richman cited inflation and supply-chain issues as major factors affecting the cost of development. He stressed that the January 2024 target date is not a sure thing at this point, and there are “still some moving parts” regarding when the new childcare facilities would be completed.
OCP REVIEW
Another major item on council’s priorities agenda was the recent public launch of Pemberton’s Official Community Plan (OCP) Review. VOP staff and employees of the consulting firm Urban Systems—which is playing a major role in facilitating the OCP review—continue to spread word about a community open house scheduled for March 6 via social media. A local advertising campaign is in full swing as Pembertonians are encouraged to attend the open house and have their say on the major issues facing the Village.
The council priorities report took shape after two days of intensive strategic planning undertaken in December by elected representatives and the CAO’s team to identify keystone issues for further discussion and follow-up. Four distinct areas emerged: organizational health, smart growth, the environment and emergency preparedness.
Additional objectives of interest involved advocacy and relationship building with regards to Indigenous reconciliation, regional transit and flood mitigation.
“This is sort of the tip of the iceberg in terms of prioritization,” said Tracy. “For this year, we still have work to do in developing those higher-level pillars, vision and strategy going forward. But these [council priorities] give us a start.”
