The expectations of families with young children are great with regard to municipalities preparing to renew their administration during municipal elections.
At least that’s what the results of a survey by the firm Leger on behalf of the Observatory of Toddlers (OTP) revealed on Thursday.
According to the probe carried out from February 2 to March 15, 2021 among 1,001 respondents, two-thirds of Quebec parents say that their municipality is not doing enough to promote the well-being and development of children under 5 years old.
To remedy the situation, parents identified three priorities that municipalities should address. These are access to safe parks (59%), quality daycare services (56%) and support for community organizations (49%).
Some $ 61 of respondents believe that their municipality is not doing enough to promote access to affordable and quality housing.
Municipalities have a role to play in reducing social inequalities caused by the health crisis, believes a large majority of Quebec parents (79%).
In this regard, they are 62% to consider the abuse or neglect of children as an emergency to be taken care of by the municipalities, while 48% of them affirm that the financial precariousness of families should be a priority for them. town halls.
The OTP cites the example of Montreal-Nord, where a project of 200 social housing units with a childcare center of 80 places saw the transformation of parking spaces into vegetable gardens and islands of freshness with the establishment of a market. seasonal audience.