Since daycare is such a hot topic in Canada right now, I thought I would bring you a story of daycare gone wrong, and how little the government is doing about it.

An Edmonton day care that left a baby crying alone in the dark after the centre closed for the night has been ordered to stop taking infants under 19 months.

Day-care staff said at the time that they simply forgot about Israel Golden, who was at the Bearspaw Day Care Centre for the first time on Jan. 27. But an official with Alberta Children's Services said an investigation found several deficiencies at the day-care centre.

"It's a mistake that we cannot tolerate and I'm sure that parents would not tolerate," Ron Bos, spokesman for the Edmonton region, said Thursday.

"Taking this step sends a message to other day cares, but also affects the confidence of parents as well that when mistakes happen that affect children, we will take action."

I don't understand. I don't understand how a daycare facility can abandon a baby, and then get a slap on the wrist, but continue operating. Ron Bos says it sends a message. I'm not sure it sends the right kind of message, if this is all the action that is being taken, despite "several deficiencies" being discovered.

Ironically, it is Alberta that does not want to get involved in the government's new child care scheme. I'm starting to think maybe they ought to, just for regulatory purposes. In the end, though, I would rather have a private babysitter or nanny look after my child, one on one. Stories like this one just happen far too often.