This is our sixth annual report examining child care fees in Canada’s big cities. For each report we have surveyed full-time licensed providers about the child care fees they charge across three age groups: infants, toddlers and preschool-age children. We include both centres and licensed family care providers. For this year’s report, we surveyed 37 cities across Canada in October 2019. With nine new cities added since our last survey, at least one city from every province and territory is represented this year.

This year’s survey confirms the conclusion of our previous surveys: the lower child care fees that we see in some Canadian jurisdictions are due to public policy, not market pressures. It also illustrates how a variety of policy elements, such as fee regulation, auspice and levels of public funding, play a role in determining child care fees. Considering the accumulated data, it is our perspective that Canada needs a thorough examination and public debate about how child care is funded in Canada.