The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne is looking for a licensed non-profit childcare provider to run a new public daycare centre. The RM of Ste. Anne has issued a request for proposals, inviting existing licensed providers to partner with the municipality on the project.
The RM has already secured land for the facility. Pending funding and council approval, the municipality plans to fund and oversee the design and construction of the building. The selected operator would then be responsible for licensing, staffing, programming, furnishing and day-to-day operations under a long-term lease.
This push comes as Ste. Anne faces a serious shortage of licensed childcare. More than 200 people have been reported on childcare waiting lists in the community, which has only one licensed daycare operator, Garderie Les Petits Amis. Mayor Yvan St. Vincent has called previous capacity additions ‘just a drop in the bucket of what the needs are.’
St. Vincent has also linked childcare availability to the area’s ability to attract families and workers. ‘If we continue to grow without having those things like daycare spots, all those kinds of things, then our growth is not a positive growth,’ he said.
The municipality’s 2026 budget identified expanding childcare capacity as a key priority. Reeve Richard Pelletier noted the RM is growing at a rapid rate, shaping decisions around infrastructure and services. The request for proposals is a step toward addressing that need, with the municipality aiming to have a partner in place to operate the new centre.
