Brandonites get a look at child-care centre plans

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This article was published 07/04/2025 (192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new child-care facility could soon open at the WestVic Common strip mall, and Brandon parents had the chance over the weekend to learn more about the plans during an open house hosted by the Connecting Dots Foundation.

Saturday’s event, held at the shopping complex at the corner of 34th Street and Victoria Avenue — home to Sobeys, FYI Doctors and Princess Dental — drew about 60 parents and community members, eager to hear how the foundation intends to address child-care needs in the area.

The idea for the centre emerged after a Brandon father who had been struggling to find child care for his daughter connected with the Alberta-based organization in hopes of finding a solution for local families, the organization’s operations director Navroop Ghumman told the Sun at the event.

“My job is to find the communities that need child care,” Ghumman said. “We came here in September of last year, and initially, we were looking to open a bigger centre. But we had a tough time finding space.”

He explained the daycare would follow the $10-a-day model, emphasizing its affordability.

“Daycare will be subsidized and will be providing hot lunch and two snacks as well, all-inclusive in it,” he said. “Remember this, we’re a not-for-profit foundation. Our goal is to fill the gap, fill the gap, open as many spaces as we can.”

The proposed facility at WestVic Common will focus on providing quality childcare for families in the west end of the city. The first centre in Manitoba is expected to offer 128 spaces, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

“We could have put more space. We could have opened 150, 160, but we believe in a best practice rather than just simply following the regulation,” he said. “Our numbers are based on 3.7 square metres. That’s the best practice. The regulation says that one child only needs three square metres, so we’re giving extra space for the children to grow.”

However, staffing shortages remain a key concern.

Ghumman acknowledged that recruiting qualified early childhood educators (ECEs) has been challenging, but the foundation is already taking steps to address the issue.

“We know there’s a shortage of staff, not just here but across Canada,” he said. “What we’re doing is hiring international educators as well as supporting our local staff to get further training.”

He added that the foundation is also exploring partnerships with post-secondary institutions to create practicum placements and potential employment pipelines for students pursuing early childhood education.

“When we opened in Grande Prairie, we had the same challenge, but we’re a family foundation. We think outside the box,” he said. “If I have to bring in staff from other centres to manage the shortage of ECEs here, we’re willing to do that.”

Parents who attended the open house were allowed to ask questions, view preliminary designs for the facility and share their own experiences navigating Brandon’s tight child-care market.

The event also served as a platform for the Connecting Dots Foundation to gauge community interest and gather feedback as they prepare to move forward with licensing and renovations.

No firm opening date has been set, but Ghumman said the goal is to have the centre operational by late 2025, pending approvals and staffing.

“We want to build a safe, nurturing environment for children, and we want parents to feel confident when they leave their kids with us,” he said.

According to the latest provincial data, Manitoba continues to face a significant shortage of licensed child-care spaces, particularly in rapidly growing communities such as Brandon.

The Connecting Dots Foundation, he added, currently operates several child-care centres in Alberta and is expanding its footprint into Manitoba in response to growing demand.

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