Committee moves to expand access to Francophone child care in Centretown West

The Community Services Committee today approved a plan to increase access to affordable, high-quality Francophone child care in a high needs community within the Dalhousie neighbourhood in Centretown West.   Following a thorough review to identify an ideal high needs location, the City proposes to transition the Centre éducatif Pinocchio from its current location at 111 Sussex Drive to a new facility at 1010 Somerset Street West. The new location will be part of a French-language elementary school planned to open in September 2027 within the future Gladstone Village community hub, between the neighbourhoods of Little Italy, Hintonburg and Chinatown.   The move would create an integrated child care centre within the school to better serve Francophone children and families. The City would leverage provincial investments and partner with the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario to create 57 net new Francophone spaces, bringing the total child care spaces at that location to 88.  Access to French language child care strengthens community, helps preserve the French language and encourages future French language education. By expanding these services, the City is helping ensure equitable access to high quality care for children while also upholding its commitment to inclusivity, responsiveness and community well-being.  The City would ensure the transition causes as little disruption as possible for families attending the Centre éducatif Pinocchio. There would be no service changes until the City transitions to the new location, timed to coincide with the new school’s planned opening in 2027. Staff would assess the feasibility of maintaining municipally operated French-language child care services in Lowertown or Sandy Hill and report back with recommendations to help minimize potential impacts. Families will be kept informed and supported throughout the relocation to ensure consistent care for their children.   Ensuring efficient, equitable access to social housing  The Committee approved updates to the City’s local rules for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing to ensure policies remain current and to better serve residents in need of deeply affordable housing. The changes aim to make the rules easier to understand and apply, to ensure that the limited stock of available RGI housing is used to support as many households as possible. The updated rules are designed to improve how RGI units are allocated and ensure larger units are available for families who need them the most.  Key changes include clearer guidelines on unit-size eligibility, streamlined processes for households that need to move to appropriately sized homes, and simplified reporting requirements for changes in household status. A separate review of how priority is determined for the centralized waitlist is underway, with further recommendations expected in 2026.  Items approved at this meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, July 23.