When the coronavirus pandemic first closed Ontario schools and daycare centres, Robin Mandel-Buchalter wasn’t very concerned about securing refunds from her daughter’s daycare.
The Toronto mom was told that First Foundations Children’s Academy (FFCA) — which had three locations across the Greater Toronto Area — would offer daily video call sessions in lieu of in-person classes.
She understood teachers still needed to be paid for their time. Mandel-Buchalter said she paid roughly $4,500 in summer 2019 for daycare in March, April, May and half of June 2020.
However, on April 10, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his government ordered child-care centres to stop collecting payments from parents while facilities remained closed due to the