Unreliable safety checks at child care facilities in the Northwest Territories have potentially endangered children and staff, as per a recent report by the Canadian auditor general. The report, presented at the legislative assembly, focused on an audit of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in the territory, specifically examining their early learning and child care services. It revealed deficiencies in safety inspections, payment oversight to facilities, provision of inclusive child care, and monitoring of child-care worker recruitment.
Auditors assessed the quality, accessibility, and affordability of child care in the N.W.T. by analyzing government records, conducting interviews with department and facility personnel, and reviewing inspection records from selected facilities. The audit period covered April 2024 to March 2026. Among their findings, auditors identified eight high-risk deficiencies at seven facilities from a review of 44 inspection files, including issues like missing smoke detectors and first aid kits. They also noted that the department failed to adequately follow up on addressing these identified deficiencies.
Furthermore, the report highlighted that around 20% of inspections were conducted using outdated criteria, potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of children in licensed facilities. Insufficient formal training for child care facility inspectors was also flagged as a concern, with new inspectors mostly learning informally on the job, which could compromise the safety of children and staff.
The audit also revealed that the department had made payments to licensed child care facilities without proper verification. Although reports from facilities were collected, the department did not verify the accuracy of the information provided, such as child enrollment and staff hours, leading to potential payment inaccuracies. While no fraud or misuse of funds was detected, the auditors emphasized the importance of verifying payment accuracy to prevent overpayments.
Despite the territory’s commitment to enhancing early learning and child care, including raising professional standards and implementing a new wage grid in 2024, the audit found lapses in tracking the recruitment and retention of child care workers since then. Without effective monitoring, the report highlighted the challenges in evaluating the impact of these initiatives and determining their effectiveness.
In terms of expanding child care spaces, the audit noted discrepancies in the creation of new spaces, as some were counted before the agreed timeline and included spaces for children older than specified. Additionally, the allocation of new spaces disproportionately favored the North Slave region, potentially leaving gaps in other regions. The auditors also pointed out the absence of a comprehensive needs assessment for new child care spaces and the lack of tracking for inclusive spaces for diverse or vulnerable children, as outlined in the 2021 agreement with the federal government.
The audit report proposed several recommendations to address these deficiencies, and the department has agreed to implement them accordingly.