David Eby defends family enrolment in subsidized child care
BC NDP Leader David Eby is defending his family’s enrolment in the provincial $10-a-day child-care program after opposition critics accused his household of taking scarce subsidized spaces while other parents struggled to find affordable care.
The dispute emerged on the provincial election campaign trail when Eby confirmed to media that one of his children was already attending a YMCA child-care facility when it was designated as a $10-a-day site a couple of years ago.
Will @BCNDP come clean? How many cabinet ministers are using $10/day daycare?, How many ministerial aides? How many party officials? #bcpoli https://t.co/drYIa6TFcH
Donations and Policy Defense on the Trail
In a statement, Eby explained that his family chose to make a donation to the facility because they did not require the discount and wanted to ensure the centre could provide additional supports for families in the community. He added that his family will make a similar donation for their youngest child who attends the same facility.
Appearing at a news conference on Tuesday, Eby declined to specify the exact donation amounts.
$7,200 a year. That’s what B.C. parents save on average because of child care fee cuts.The BC Conservatives’ child care critic, Heather Maahs, says it’s about “ideology.” Their platform chair won’t commit to a fee cap.No fee cap means no limit on what you pay. pic.twitter.com/1FRkIXVCkq
"We made the decision as a family that we didn’t need that benefit," Eby told reporters, adding that his family donated the difference in costs after the facility entered the government program.
Structure and Limits of the Subsidized Program
The $10-a-day program features no income limits, meaning families at participating locations receive reduced rates regardless of their earnings. According to program data, designated spaces account for roughly 18,000 spots, or about 10 per cent of licensed child-care spaces across British Columbia. Enrolment in the program was paused earlier this spring as the government moved to stabilize the system.
Heather Maahs said, “$10 a day daycare is an abject failure, boondoggle… at what cost?” She believes government-funded child care is an “attempt to reshape” the role of parents in the lives of their children, and “steer” children away from parents and towards government care.… pic.twitter.com/darZWQUOYM
Conservatives Criticize Premier for Using Child Care Spot
The B.C. Conservatives seized on the disclosure during the provincial election campaign, arguing that a high-income household should not benefit from a program that remains inaccessible to many families.
Margareta Dovgal, the B.C. Conservative candidate for Vancouver-Yaletown, criticized the premier in a news release, stating that a Premier who promised $10-a-day child care failed to deliver it and took one of the scarce spots for himself. The Conservatives highlighted Eby’s premier compensation of more than $226,000 for 2025 to 2026, and demanded answers regarding the value and timing of his donations.
Following Eby’s Tuesday press conference, Dovgal asserted that the leader was dodging difficult inquiries.
NDP Highlights Fee Reductions While Experts Urge Expansion
The B.C. NDP countered the attacks by stating that fee reductions have lowered average child-care costs by about half, saving families roughly $500 per month. The party also accused Conservative opponents of maintaining silence regarding whether their party would reverse child-care fee caps or potentially cut existing programs.
Low-hanging fruit for any of the non-NDP parties. Call for an audit of the NDP $10/day daycare program. How many spaces have been used by kids of doctors, lawyers, CEOs and NDP officials and donors versus industrial, agricultural, manufacturing and retail workers? #bcpoli
Gregson noted that no reasonable person would begrudge a family access to affordable care, but emphasized that decision-makers must focus on expanding the system beyond its current ten-per-cent reach.
Hamish Telford, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, suggested the situation creates difficult optics for the administration, making it appear as though the privileged are getting a privilege, though he noted there is no current evidence of preferential treatment or nefarious actions.
Upcoming Election Timeline
Advance voting for the provincial election is scheduled to run from Friday, Oct. 16, to Wednesday, Oct. 21, with main voting day set for Saturday, Oct. 24.