It’s 5:59 p.m. and I’m sweating over my keyboard — glass of water in one hand, credit card in the other — waiting to score two spots at the most coveted event of the summer. I’m not talking about Osheaga. I’m talking about summer camp.

Registration opens at 6 p.m. sharp. By 6:15, the most exciting specialty camps — horseback riding, field trips to Bromont Water Park — are “complet.” By 7, the best weeks for everything else may be too.

Camp is expensive, spots are limited, and for many families without grandparents nearby, it’s not a luxury. It’s economic survival.

We love to imagine summer as a wide-open stretch of sunshine and memory-making. But for working-class parents, it’s often a logistical gauntlet wrapped in financial stress. We’re not planning a restful vacation. We’re building a 10-week care schedule, paying thousands for the privilege, and crossing our fingers that each kid lands a spot at the same camp — or else we spend the summer as part-time chauffeurs.

In Montreal, the average cost of day camp can range........

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