News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The 2026-27 Provincial Budget provides $425.5 million for early learning and child care in Saskatchewan, an increase of $12.3 million or three per cent. The renewal of the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement effective April 1, 2026, provides continuity for child care operations and supports Saskatchewan families in accessing affordable, high-quality early learning and child care."

Excerpt: "The Yukon government has appointed a four-member Independent Panel to lead a comprehensive review of the Department of Education. The aim of the review is to support the long-term wellbeing of Yukoners by continuing to put learners at the centre of the education system. The review, a part of the government’s mandate, will look at how the department supports learners, families and educators across the Yukon’s three school authorities, as well as those accessing post-secondary and adult learning supports. By examining these core services, the panel will identify what is working well and where improvements can be made. The goal of the review is to ensure the Yukon’s education system from kindergarten to Grade 12 and beyond is fair, responsive and that it meets the territory’s needs."

Excerpt: "Budget 2026-2027 also includes initiatives totalling nearly $392 million over five years to support higher education training, labour market integration and research, including $150 million to continue promoting and raising the profile of the disciplines of engineering and information technology, and $132 million to extend employment assistance allowances. Measures are also planned to support the training and qualification of childcare educators, accommodate the increase in medical school cohorts, maintain efforts to integrate immigrants into the workforce, and support the development of the Indigenous workforce. An additional $45 million is also provided to support university research."

Excerpt: "The Operating Grant Program (OGP) for child care centres is a key component of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The intent of the OGP is to improve affordability and accessibility of quality child care for families with young children throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Participation by licensed child care centres is voluntary and includes a set daily rate for parent/guardian fees. All regulated child care centres in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador are eligible to apply for the operating grant. This includes both commercial and not-for-profit community-based centres committed to ongoing quality, inclusion, accessibility, and affordability. Centres must comply with the Child Care Act, regulations, and policies, including the Operating Grant Program Policy for Child Care Centres."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is launching the Classroom Supplies Fund to provide elementary school homeroom teachers with direct access to $750 in funding each school year for classroom supplies. The new fund, which will be launched as part of the province’s 2026 budget, will ensure teachers have the materials they need in their classrooms without paying up front and is part of the government’s ongoing work to ensure the provincial education system is supporting student success and helping them reach their full potential."

Excerpt: "The 10 new Edmonton school projects include eight new schools and two replacement schools. Edmonton Public Schools is approved for four new schools. Edmonton Catholic Schools and Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord are each approved for two new schools and one replacement school. Together, these projects will create or renovate more than 8,400 student spaces in Edmonton. With a total of 40 new projects funded in Budget 2026, there are now 161 active school projects underway across the province."

Excerpt: "Key strategic priorities of our government are: Ensuring that Islanders have access to reliable energy, advancing policies and projects that keep energy costs manageable for households and businesses, and strengthening the reliability and resilience of our grid; Ensuring responsible and transparent land ownership and land management, improving oversight and enforcement, and modernizing land‑use planning frameworks to support appropriate development while protecting agricultural land and sensitive ecosystems; Expanding access to primary care, improving wait times, and strengthening our recruitment and retention of our valued healthcare workers; Supporting Island residents and businesses in addressing affordability pressures, including food security, childcare, and housing; Approaching all decisions with aggressive financial stewardship and transparency."

Excerpt: "Through this next school bundle, Alberta’s government is moving forward with a group of elementary and junior high schools that will create space for more than 5,300 students in Edmonton, Calgary, Cochrane and Airdrie. These new schools will help ease pressure in classrooms and support growing communities."

Excerpt: "The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the Government of Canada announced today the creation of 355 net new child care spaces as of September 30, 2025. As part of the Canada-Northwest Territories Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2021 to 2026, the territory committed to creating 300 spaces for children ages 0-5 years. These spaces support families and job creation in Northwest Territories’ (NWT) communities while allowing parents to return to work or school knowing their children are cared for in safe, licensed environments."

Excerpt: "Today, the Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced that the federal government is committing $1.55 billion to renew Jordan’s Principle until March 31, 2027. This investment responds to sustained demand over the past decade and will protect uninterrupted access to essential supports for children."

Excerpt: "To meet the needs of Alberta’s growing communities, Budget 2026 provides $722 million in new funding to support enrolment growth, teacher compensation, improved classroom conditions, and the construction and modernization of school infrastructure; $1.8 billion budgeted in 2026-27 to support students with specialized learning needs, an increase of $86.5 million from 2025-26; Funding of $355 million in 2026-27 and $1.4 billion over 2026-27 to 2028-29 to hire 1,500 more education assistants and 3,000 more teachers over the next 3 years to help address class size and complexity; $3.3 billion to support new and ongoing school projects."

Excerpt: " Revenue from Ordinary Recoveries is forecast to be $96.5 million higher than Budget Estimates. This is primarily due to an increase of $101.4 million in PYAs, $33.6 million from Emergency Management primarily due to federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, and $12.6 million from Cyber Security and Digital Solutions mainly due to One Person One Record and hardware and software purchases on behalf of Nova Scotia Health. These increases are partially offset by decreases of $37.9 million from Municipal Affairs, primarily due to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program due to shifts in cashflows, and $27.2 million in Education and Early Childhood Development mainly associated with the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements, due to construction delays."