The University of Ottawa has decided to move forward with plans to close the Bernadette Child Care Centre, our only on-campus daycare that has supported faculty, staff, and students for over 35 years. This decision will leave 49 children, the majority of which are from families of uOttawa students and employees, without child care as of May 31, 2026. This will also make uOttawa the only U15 university that does not offer on-campus or campus-affiliated child care services.
Under the leadership of new uOttawa President Marie-Ève Sylvestre, the University and representatives of the Bernadette Child Care Centre had begun exploring the possibility of relocating the Centre to an alternative space at 200 Lees to preserve childcare services. In December, we learned that the Administration abruptly ended all discussions about the new space due to unspecified environmental concerns. Bernadette representatives made several requests for clarification regarding these environmental concerns and received a response on January 22, in which the University doubled down on the decision without providing further explanation.
Take Action:
We urge members to write to the University’s leadership about this inequitable decision, the lack of transparency around it and demonstrate a strong opposition to the elimination of 49 bilingual and subsidized child care spots.
- Marie-Ève Sylvestre, President and Vice-Chancellor: msylvest@uottawa.ca
- Éric Bercier, Interim vice-president, finance and administration: vpfa@uottawa.ca
- Annick Bergeron, Secretary-General: UOSecretariat@uOttawa.ca
More Context:
The Bernadette Child Care Center was first informed of its potential closure in 2021, when uOttawa announced plans to demolish the building housing the daycare. In response, the APUO, along with our sister unions and students’ associations on campus, mobilized to form a Campus Coalition to Save Bernadette. Since then, in collaboration with Bernadette, the Coalition has launched petitions, organized rallies and attended Board of Governors meetings to express the campus community’s need for child care services and demand a new space for the Bernadette Child Care Center. The Coalition’s actions, communications and attempts to meet with the Central Administration were consistently ignored.
The arrival of new University President Marie-Ève Sylvestre brought renewed optimism to the campaign to save Bernadette Child Care Center. Under her leadership, the University and representatives of the Bernadette Child Care Centre had begun exploring the possibility of relocating the Centre to an alternative space at 200 Lees to preserve childcare services. This development was welcomed as a constructive step and an acknowledgement of the urgent need to retain on-campus childcare.
In December, we learned that the Administration abruptly ended all discussions about the new space, stating that it was no longer possible to use. No further explanation, criteria, or supporting information has been provided by the University to justify this determination, despite multiple requests for transparency. The most recent communication from the Administration, dated January 22 provided no further explanations and reiterated that the daycare will need to vacate its current space effective May 31, 2026.
This sudden reversal and the absence of transparency surrounding it are deeply troubling. Once again, the University has taken a unilateral decision that directly affects working and learning conditions without meaningful consultation or clear rationale. The lack of justification also raises questions regarding the administration’s commitment to exploring all feasible options to support continuity of childcare services on campus.
The APUO continues to maintain that access to affordable, high-quality childcare is an essential component of a supportive and inclusive university environment. The presence, or lack, of an on-campus daycare has direct impacts on students’ learning conditions and our working conditions. We will continue to press the administration for full disclosure regarding its decision-making process and to advocate for concrete measures that preserve childcare services for the uOttawa community.
Further updates will be shared as more information becomes available.