Alberta still without $10‑a‑day childcare despite campaign pledge
Posted Aug 21, 2026 11:38 am.
Alberta remains without $10‑a‑day childcare, three years after Premier Danielle Smith promised the program would be in place by 2026.
The province now says its agreement with Ottawa is financially unsustainable, even as families continue to benefit from reduced fees under the current federal deal.
“All Albertans will have access to $10‑a‑day daycare by 2026,” said Smith during the 2023 campaign. But that commitment has yet to materialize.
For Calgary parent Matyowos Fidel, the lower fees would have made a major difference when his children were younger.
“$10 everyday, that’s a big help for the family,” he said, noting that savings could have gone toward school supplies or future education.
Under its federal agreement, Alberta currently offers $15‑a‑day childcare for children kindergarten age or younger. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, that has translated into more than $1,200 in monthly savings for infant care and over $1,300 for preschool care in Calgary.
Edmonton parents are seeing nearly $1,000 in monthly savings for infant care and slightly more for preschool‑age care. Dropping fees to $10 a day would add more than $100 in additional monthly savings.
Senior economist David Macdonald says Alberta is partway through the national plan’s fee‑reduction process. Provinces that reached $10‑a‑day earlier had already set fees before the federal program began, putting them “a step down the path” compared to Alberta.
In a statement to CityNews, the province says it now covers nearly 80 per cent of childcare costs for families, amounting to an estimated $11,000 in savings per child each year. But it argues the $10‑a‑day model is underfunded and unsustainable.
The federal government says it is “actively engaging” with Alberta on the issue.
“We need mothers to be part of that workforce,” said Morna Ballantyne of Child Care Now, pointing to major infrastructure projects that rely on a strong labour force. “That’s not going to happen if we pull back on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program.”
Alberta’s current $15‑a‑day childcare agreement with Ottawa runs until March 2027.
