child care

The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) is announcing three projects to create a total of 118 new child care spaces across Thunder Bay.

The projects received $1,758,804 in expansion funding through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program.

Upon completion, the TDSSAB will achieve its goal of building 196 new child care spaces between 2024 and 2026. Detailed announcements and grand openings will be planned as projects are completed.

Project Name	# of Spaces	CWELCC Annual Funding (approx.)	Expansion Funding
Nanabijou Child Care Program – Thunder Bay	72	$1,327,104	$1,258,304
Metis Nation of Ontario Child Care Centre – Thunder Bay	32	$661,644	$500,000
Brass Bell Family Resource Centre – Terrace Bay	14	$302,772	$0
TOTALS	118	$2,291,520	$1,758,804

“Affordable child care is an economic tool that helps communities grow,” said Patty Hadju, Ontario Minister of Jobs and Families. “When parents can find good, reliable child care, they can work, train, or build a business. In Thunder Bay, lower fees are saving families thousands of dollars and keeping more people in the workforce. We will keep working with partners to protect and expand these spaces so every child can learn, and every family can plan for a strong future.”

There are 1,503 children in CWELCC spaces as of January 2026.