Ontario Is Funding Bollard Installation at Daycares: What Child Care Operators Need to Know
In September 2025, a driver crashed his SUV into First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, killing 17-month-old Liam Riazati and injuring six other young children and three adults. It was a tragedy that shook communities across Ontario and forced a long-overdue conversation about vehicle safety barriers at child care centres.
Three months later, the Ontario government responded. In December 2025, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced the Liam Riazati Memorial Fund, a $20 million provincial initiative to help licensed child care centres install concrete safety barriers free of charge. Applications are expected to open in early 2026.
If you operate a licensed child care centre in Ontario, here is what you need to know.
What the Fund Covers
The Liam Riazati Memorial Fund is designed to cover the cost of delivering and installing concrete barriers at eligible child care facilities across Ontario. The barriers will be supplied and installed free of charge to qualifying operators, with the province managing the application process to keep things as straightforward as possible for operators.
Minister Calandra acknowledged at the announcement that $20 million will not be enough to reach every vulnerable space in the province, but stated that additional funding will be made available in coming years if needed. The fund is intended as a starting point while the province examines longer-term safety requirements for the sector.
Who Is Eligible
The fund is targeted at community-based, licensed child care operators. Centres that have already independently installed barriers before the fund launched are not eligible for reimbursement at this time, which the government has acknowledged is a concern it may address through future programs.
To be in the strongest position when applications open, operators should:
Make sure their child care licence is current and in good standing with the Ministry of Education. Document the specific vulnerabilities at their facility, including parking lot access points, playground perimeters, and building entrances that are exposed to vehicle traffic. Identify any existing barriers or lack thereof at high-risk areas. Note whether there are parking spaces adjacent to entrances, windows, or outdoor play areas, as Minister Calandra specifically flagged this as a key risk factor following the Richmond Hill incident.
Why This Matters Beyond the Fund
The Liam Riazati tragedy was not an isolated incident. Minister Calandra acknowledged at the announcement that vehicle-related risks exist at child care centres across the province, many of which operate out of plazas, places of worship, and shared commercial buildings where parking areas sit directly adjacent to entrances and windows.
The fund is the immediate response. But the province has also signalled that it is moving toward permanent safety requirements for the sector, including updated design guidelines and regulations for licensed child care programs. What is voluntary today may become mandatory tomorrow. Operators who act now will be ahead of that curve.
There is also the liability dimension. As with any commercial occupier in Ontario, child care centre operators carry a duty of care to the children, families, and staff on their premises under the Occupiers’ Liability Act. A vehicle impact that causes harm at a facility with no barriers, in a location where the risk was clearly foreseeable, creates significant legal exposure. The fund removes the financial barrier to addressing that risk.
What a Bollard Installation at a Daycare Actually Involves
Not all barriers are the same, and the placement of bollards at a child care facility requires more care than a standard commercial installation. The priority areas are typically the building entrance and any glazed facades that face a parking area, the perimeter of outdoor play spaces, and any areas where vehicles and pedestrians share close proximity during drop-off and pick-up.
Depth of installation, spacing between posts, surface composition, and proximity to accessible pathways all need to be accounted for. The goal is to create a genuine physical barrier against vehicle impact without creating new hazards or accessibility issues for children and families using the space.
Professional installation matters here especially. A bollard that is improperly set, too shallow, or incorrectly spaced may look like protection while providing very little of it. For a child care environment, getting the specification right is not something to leave to chance.
Book Your Installation with Bollard Boys GTA
Bollard Boys GTA has a dedicated service for daycare and child care centre bollard installation across the Greater Toronto Area. We work with licensed operators to assess their facilities, identify vulnerabilities, and install the right bollards in the right locations.
If you are planning to apply for the Liam Riazati Memorial Fund or want to get ahead of the application process with a site assessment, we are ready to help. Visit our dedicated daycare bollard installation page to book your installation or contact us directly to discuss your facility.