Alberta proposes new daycare safety rules

The Alberta government is proposing legislative changes that would speed up when parents are told about potential criminal incidents in their child's daycare. Bill 35, tabled in the legislature, contains multiple amendments in response to a case in Edmonton last year. Parents were kept in the dark for months about an alleged sexual assault of a child by a former daycare worker. Some of those parents took their concerns to the child care minister, who's now proposing substantial changes. Providers would need to inform all families about compliance problems, enforcement actions, and ministry-approved safety plans related to serious concerns, including potential criminal allegations such as child abuse or neglect. For two months parents of children at Willowbrae Academy Mill Creek weren't told a former daycare worker was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in a shed. The serious nature of the incident finally came to light when the mother of the girl spoke up at a town hall parents had to push for. After that another complainant came forward but by then the accused had already fled the country. Parent Thomas Kyle welcomes the proposed changes. I think from what I've seen in Bill 35, it's the most substantial change to the Early Learning and Child Care Act in a generation. And in particular, the major changes all highlight on critical incidents, parent notification. Publication, the ability for the department to communicate directly with parents. If the bill passes, it's expected to come into effect next March. Andrea Honkar, CBC News, Edmonton.