Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The program provides compensation for up to 8 per cent of staff wages for employers to select and offer a comprehensive benefits package that meets the needs of their employees from a registered Canadian insurance provider. A combined total of $800,000 in funding from the governments of Canada and Yukon is available to every licensed ELCC program in the Yukon, including operators currently offering benefits for employees. Those operators can also receive retroactive funding for providing their employees with benefits from April 1, 2021."

Excerpt: "Designated Early Years Centres receive operational funding from government to follow a provincial curriculum framework, recognized as one of the best in the country. These centres provide government-regulated fees for parents and they are staffed by trained Early Childhood Educators who are on the provincial wage grid. There are now 61 provincial Early Years Centres on Prince Edward Island."

Excerpt: "The 2020-2021 Annual Report presents data on the delivery of child and family services across the Northwest Territories from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. An important trend identified in the report shows that since 2011-2012, there has been a decrease of children and youth in permanent care from 193 to 93. This decrease speaks to the importance of family and community support in the lives of children and youth. It also highlights the benefits to children and youth that come from remaining connected to their family, community, and culture while receiving services."

Excerpt: "The newly approved Capital Priorities Program projects will create 19,700 new student spaces, and 1,525 new licensed child care spaces in schools. These new spaces will be supported by an investment of $565 million, which will see 26 new schools and 20 permanent additions and renovations built. In addition, the Ontario government will collaborate with several school boards in this round of Capital Priorities funding to expand solutions for accelerated school construction through a pilot project using modular construction methods. This will deliver efficiencies in construction and reduce build times so that students can take advantage of new and updated schools sooner."

Excerpt: "The Government will also continue building the first-ever Canada-wide early learning and child care system. By the end of 2022, average fees for regulated child care will be cut in half in most of the provinces and territories. And in some places, this will even happen as early as the start of the year. Families will save thousands of dollars. Four jurisdictions have not yet reached agreements on child care. Two are territories with unique infrastructure challenges, and the Government will keep working together to ensure we meet the needs of the North. The Government will continue working with the remaining two provinces to finalize agreements that will deliver $10-a-day child care for families who so badly need it."

Excerpt: "Since signing the early learning and child care agreements with the federal government in August, the Government of Saskatchewan has delivered a wage increase and training opportunities for early childhood educators (ECEs) ensuring families and their children have access to high quality and inclusive child care in the province.

Today, the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced that as a first step toward making child care more affordable for children aged 0 to 5, funding will be provided to licensed facilities that will reduce parents’ out-of-pocket child care fees by about half on average, retroactive to July 1, 2021. This initial reduction is the first step toward reaching the 2025-26 goal of, on average, $10 a day licensed child care in Saskatchewan."

Excerpt: "The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, today announced that both governments have reached an agreement that will support an average of $10 a day care in the province, significantly reducing the price of child care for families. The agreement includes creating 42,500 new regulated early learning and child care spaces by the end of March 2026. With federal funding of almost $3.8 billion over the next five years, Alberta will also see a 50 per cent reduction in average parent fees for children under the age of six in regulated child care by the end of 2022."

Excerpt: "More parents in B.C.’s Interior will be able to pursue their work or education goals, thanks to 84 licensed child care spaces and a further 79 spaces that are expected to open by March 2022."

Excerpt: "Funding to support the sector includes: $20.57 million for a child care staff recovery and retention program to help attract and retain qualified and certified educators to the sector, and to acknowledge long-term staff who have worked throughout the pandemic; Approximately $15 million in unspent (due to lower than expected enrolment and expenditures) bilateral funding from the federal government for COVID-19 relief to further support operators as quickly as possible."

Excerpt: "Investing in schools helps support the long-term success of students. This is why the government is investing about $14 billion in capital grants over 10 years to construct more schools, improve existing facilities across Ontario and support education-related projects. As part of this investment, the government is providing $1.4 billion for the 2021–22 school year to support the repair and renewal of schools, including upgrading ventilation systems. Over five years, the government is investing up to $1.0 billion to create up to 30,000 licensed child care spaces for families and communities across the province."

Excerpt: "Today, the Government Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan announced an investment of $9.6 million to fund a wage increase of up to $3 per hour for qualified Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) in the province."

Excerpt: "Since 2007, the number of child care spaces in the province has increased 77 per cent – from 9,305 to 16,475. In August, we signed a $1.1 billion child care deal with the federal government. This plan will reduce child care costs to an average of $10 a day by 2025-26 and create thousands of new child care spaces. By the end of next year, child care fees will be reduced by 50 per cent."