HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia government says it is beefing up regulations to better protect children at regulated day cares.
Karen Casey, the minister of early childhood development, says she will soon have the authority to ensure staff who have not completed criminal background or child abuse registry checks are not working with children at any time.
Casey says she's taking the measures after receiving information regarding five daycares that violated their operating licences and hired staff without the proper background checks in place.
She says new regulations to be introduced under the Day Care Act this fall would ensure appropriate checks are up-to-date.
In the meantime, Casey says she has asked daycare operators to ensure staff members who've yet to complete background checks are supervised when they are with children.
