Laurentian University students to continue receiving child care subsidy during professor strike

Laurentian University students don't have to worry about losing their child care subsidy anymore.

The City of Greater Sudbury has reversed a policy that would have cancelled the program, if the university's faculty strike continued past the end of October.

"It was an outdated policy and a practice that simply needed to be revisited given that these kind of disruptions haven't occurred in our community for a very, very long time," Mayor Brian Bigger said.

"But what I can say is I'm very glad that city staff were able to resolve the matter quickly with council's support."

$1,500 child care too much for students

The city's policy is changed on a go-forward basis, according to Bigger, which means students will not be at risk of losingtheir child care subsidy again.

He said the support is important because it offers students reduced daycare and child care program rates.

"It makes a huge, huge difference," Bigger said.

"One of the students was talking about a cost of $1,500 a month [for child care] versus their subsidy that they're receiving. So $1,500 for somebody who is a full-time attendant in university is a lot of money."

Bigger would not say whether he was considering changingany other municipal policies in light of the faculty strike at this time, such as bus drivers not being able to deliveror pickup passengers past the picket line.