Lax rules that are ”barely being enforced” in a system with legal loopholes.

That’s what the Ontario ombudsman found following an investigation of unlicensed daycares.

Andre Marin launched the investigation following last year’s death of a two-year old girl at a home daycare in Vaughan.

Eva Ravikovich was one of four children in the GTA to die in an unlicensed daycare over a period of seven-months.

But the ombudsman says her death signalled ”significant problems” when government officials were not able to say how many complaints had been made about her facility.

Marin says the investigation turned up ”alarming loopholes” that have allowed illegal daycares to operate ”under the guise of private schools and so-called summer camps.”

He is not recommending that all daycares be licensed but urges the government to consider a centralized registry and tougher standards for the unlicensed sector.