Excerpt: "Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, along with the Honourable Paul Calandra, Ontario’s Minister of Education, announced a one-year extension to the Canada–Ontario Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (Canada-wide ELCC) Agreement, until March 31, 2027. The ministers also announced that future funding of $695 million would be instead provided by Canada to the province in 2026, to help maintain eligible child care fees at their current average of $19 per day until December 31, 2026. In total, today’s announcement means that more than $3.9 billion in federal funding will be allocated to the Government of Ontario in 2026-27 to support continued access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services."