Port Moody will spend almost $45,000 to study the feasibility of constructing a daycare at city hall.
The study will evaluate the space requirements for such a facility as well as possible locations, regulatory requirements and financial considerations. It will also evaluate commercial modular buildings as a possible option for the daycare and review the potential for securing government grants.
City manager Anna Mathewson told council’s strategic priorities committee the cost of the study is “quite normal” as an architect will have to be retained.
While Coun. Amy Lubik said the cost of the study seems “like a lot,” Coun. Kyla Knowles said a daycare would be “a great amenity for our city employees to have.”
Port Moody Mayor Meghan Lahti, who first pitched the idea in 2023, said an on-site daycare "not only signals that the employer values its employees, it provides parents with an option for daycare that is often fraught with anxiety, given the lack of daycare spaces available in the region."
She said the city is underserved with only 20.9 available spaces for every 100 children.
Lahti added a daycare at city hall would also be a valuable tool to recruit and retain top employees.
“Offering child care today could set Port Moody up for attracting the best talent in the future."
A source for the money to pay for the study will be identified at a future meeting of council’s finance committee.
The final report is expected to be ready for council’s consideration in June.
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