News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The Government of Manitoba is launching a new five-year plan to create more high-quality child care for families across the province including investing in 5,000 more child-care spaces and another 20 new or expanded child-care centres, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross announced today."

Excerpt: "$5.5 million to boost child-care spaces and improve wages. Budget 2014 is the Manitoba government’s plan to create good jobs and grow Manitoba’s economy – while protecting the frontlines of services that families count on. A key part of this budget is a $5.5 billion Five-Year Plan that will build our core infrastructure like highways, bridges, flood protection and municipal infrastructure. These investments will stimulate our economy, keep businesses growing and create job and training opportunities for families."

Excerpt: "It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of ECEs currently working in the sector, or 2,500 individuals, will see an increase in wages. ECE Level I will receive an increase of up to $1.50 per hour; ECE Level II will receive an increase of up to $2.00 per hour, and ECE Level III will receive up to $2.50 an hour. Compared to September 2022, this is approximately an eight per cent increase, on average, in the hourly wages for ECEs in the province. The ECE Wage Enhancement grant is also being expanded to include assistants working in group family child care homes who have an ECE certification. Certified assistants will be eligible to receive an ECE Wage Enhancement grant of up to $7.50 per hour, bringing them in line with the wage increases provided to ECEs working in child care centres in 2021-22 and 2022-23."

Budget 2014 is the Manitoba government’s plan to create good jobs and grow Manitoba’s economy – while protecting the frontlines of services that families count on.

Excerpt: "Families in Winnipeg, St. Andrews and Oak Lake will have greater access to some of the best, most affordable licensed child care in Canada with the creation of more than 250 new child-care spaces at four new centres and one existing site, Education and Advanced Learning Minister James Allum announced today."

The Government of Manitoba acknowledges the failure of the child welfare system to protect Phoenix Sinclair and will immediately act on the recommendations of the Hughes inquiry and continue strengthening protections for children in Manitoba, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said today.

Excerpt: "The Government of Manitoba and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation are working together to establish a million-dollar Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund, the first of its kind in Canada, Premier Greg Selinger announced today. In a partnership with United Way of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and the business community, the fund is being seeded by a $500,000 investment from the Montreal-based McConnell Foundation, with matching funds from the Government of Manitoba."

The Manitoba government is investing in the health of mothers and babies through the Healthy Baby Program, Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief announced July 3, 2013. “The Healthy Baby Program supports moms and their families early and gives them financial and community support,” said Chief. “Early childhood development programs, like Healthy Baby Manitoba, have shown they give babies a strong start by increasing moms’ access to prenatal care, increased breastfeeding rates and decreased number of preterm births.”

Family Services and Labour Minister Jennifer Howard announced a new partnership with l’Université de Saint-Boniface and an expanded partnership with Assiniboine Community College that will give 70 more child-care professionals access to the province’s popular workplace-based early childhood education diploma program. The new partnerships mean the program will begin training a total of 135 early childhood educators this year.

Premier Greg Selinger announced Budget 2013 will give families better access to quality child care by opening up to 1,000 new spaces over the next year. "Our government is focused on what matters most to Manitoba families and for growing families that includes better access to good quality child care," said Selinger. "More child care spaces will support parents while they are at work and help prepare young children to succeed at school, while also creating jobs for qualified early childhood educators across the province."

To meet the needs of families in the growing Waverley West neighbourhood, Premier Greg Selinger announced that the province will build an early learning to Grade 8 school in the area that will serve families in this community for years to come.

Excerpt: "The province released its 2013 Budget, and announced in its Budget Address: "We know that high-quality child care is vital to a growing economy and a strong workforce. This year, we will fund new child-care spaces and new child-care centres...which will help parents, especially women, find and keep stable, rewarding jobs. Our government will also partner with parents to support efforts to recruit and retain much-needed child-care workers...The recently announced After School Network brings community-based organizations together to provide more structured after-school activities and programs.""