Dear members,
The Garderie Bernadette Child Care Centre (GBCCC) was created at the University of Ottawa in 1988 as a direct result of pressure from campus workers and students to have access to first rate daycare services on campus. During the past 35 years, it has been an anchor for the University of Ottawa community and beyond, providing access to affordable, bilingual child care services.
In 2021, the University’s Central Administration announced that following the demolition of the Brooks building where the GBCCC is currently housed, no equivalent replacement space would be made available for the continued provision of on campus child care services.
This decision was taken without consulting university workers or students, and was a stunning blow to the campus community; especially the care providers employed by, and the families who rely on the GBCCC. Access to affordable on-campus bilingual child care is an important issue for campus workers and students alike. Indeed, the elimination of this service calls into question the Central Administration’s commitment to the objectives set out in the 2021 Towards a renewed Francophonie at the University of Ottawa: A Shared Responsibility report.
Campus unions and associations have requested to meet with the Central Administration about its decision and the negative impacts it will have on the campus community. Yet, the Central Administration continues to steadfastly refuse to engage in any discussion of this matter.
In partnership with the other unions and associations from across our campus, the APUO has formed a coalition with the workers and the Board of Directors of the GBCCC, and has launched a petition to save the daycare. We invite all APUO members to sign the petition and to share it among their professional networks and local communities.