News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "“Over the last three months, the panel established its workplan and began engaging with key partners, employees, the public and school communities. This work included extensive research and a review of previous reports. I have reviewed the status report, and we will advance its initial recommendations as soon as possible. As outlined at the start of this process, this review is examining how the Department of Education supports learners at every stage, from kindergarten through Grade 12 and post-secondary and adult learners. The review is also examining how services are delivered across the territory’s three school authorities."

Excerpt: "In spring 2026, the Ontario government announced $1.6 billion to support 79 school construction projects, including 11 French-language school board projects, to address local student space pressures across the province. Sixty-seven projects were approved for $1.3 billion in provincial support through the 2025-26 capital priorities program, with the remaining 12 projects receiving funding of nearly $300 million through the 2026-27 program. The total funding amount includes $87 million in child care capital funding. The 79 approved projects will create over 29,000 new student spaces and over 1,900 new licensed child care spaces across Ontario."

Excerpt: "e Family Resource Network program consists of 70 networks made up of 131 partner agencies offering services
ranging from universal prevention to more targeted and intensive supports. Families are connected to resources that promote resilience, positive relationships and healthy development through parenting workshops, playgroups, mentoring, youth outreach, cultural activities and in-home supports. Programs are designed to reduce the risk of child maltreatment and support strong communities. Additionally, families have access to home visitation services that provide in-home parenting education and family support services to expectant parents and those with children 0 to 6 years of age. These programs help ensure children have a good foundation in their early years, youth have the resources they need, and parents and caregivers are supported in raising their families."

Excerpt: "Students in every public school will have access to healthy, affordable lunches when the final phase of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program launches in high schools this September. For the 2026-27 school year, lunches will be available in all 372 public schools across the province, offering more than 133,000 students access to nutritious food during the school day."

Excerpt: "The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing funding for a new child care centre at Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook that will help increase access to affordable child care for families in western Newfoundland. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is providing approximately $665,000 as part of its Operating Grant Program to ensure the new centre can provide $10-a-day child care for up to 30 children. An additional $92,000 is also being provided by the Provincial Government for equipment and supplies at the centre. The new child care centre, located in the Marina Redmond Centre, is anticipated to open by later this year."

Excerpt: "Today, I informed my provincial and territorial counterparts that the Government of Canada will invest up to $5.4 billion over two years (2026–27 and 2027–28), in addition to the more than $58 billion in funding through early learning and child care agreements with provinces and territories since 2021. This additional investment will help keep child care affordable for families and support the early childhood educators who make the system possible. It will also provide stability while federal, provincial, and territorial governments work together to strengthen the program for the future. Our focus is to ensure families across Canada continue to have access to affordable, high-quality, and inclusive early learning and child care programs."

Excerpt: "The Provincial Government has issued an expression of interest for membership on a new child care advisory panel that will help the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development improve the child care system. The panel will consist of child care operators who will help identify challenges and offer recommendations to the Minister and department on feasible solutions to benefit all children and families. The child care advisory panel will inform the development, implementation and oversight of child care initiatives within the province."

Excerpt: "The Manitoba government is investing $50,000 through the From the Ground Up – Safe Healthy Communities for ALL program to support The Pas Community Renewal Corporation, in developing and delivering after-school programming, including hiring staff, purchasing equipment, supplies and bundle boxes, Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard announced today."

Excerpt: "The National School Food Program is providing meals to up to 400,000 more kids every year. With these plans, total federal funding for provinces and territories has doubled from the 2024-25 fiscal year to $140 million, marking a major step forward in ensuring that more children have access to nutritious food at school, and that local farmers and local economies contribute to this. With support from the National School Food Program and provincial and territorial (PT) investments, more than 10,000 schools—approximately 80% of PT-operated schools in Canada—are offering school food programs this school year."

Excerpt: "The government and the New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation, which represents more than 7,800 teachers, have signed a new collective agreement. “This agreement is about recognizing the incredible work teachers do every day in classrooms across New Brunswick and ensuring teaching remains an attractive and rewarding profession for years to come,” said Premier Susan Holt. “Teachers play a vital role in shaping the future of our province, and I am pleased that both sides were able to work together to reach a fair agreement so quickly. By investing in our teachers and supporting recruitment and retention, we are strengthening our schools and helping ensure students across New Brunswick have the opportunities they need to succeed.” The agreement is retroactive to March 1, 2026, and includes a general economic increase of 14.5 per cent over five years."

Excerpt: "The proposed legislation will make online services more accountable and transparent by introducing new safety requirements for social media services and AI chatbot services. It will include an age restriction preventing children under the age of 16 from having accounts on social media services, with a pathway for social media services to seek an exemption if they can demonstrate that they have put in place sufficient safeguards for children. The new requirements will also put children’s safety first when products and features are designed, including measures to reduce children’s exposure to certain content and high-risk interactions. Regulated services will be required to identify, mitigate and address the risks on their platforms."

Excerpt: "Construction has begun on a new kindergarten to Grade 8 school in southwest Winnipeg’s Prairie Pointe neighbourhood that will also include a child care centre, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today. “Breaking ground on this new school means Prairie Pointe families will have access to quality learning spaces close to home,” said Schmidt. “As this community continues to grow, it’s important we are building the infrastructure needed to support students and families now and into the future.” The new dual-track French and English kindergarten to Grade 8 school will be located on Skyline Drive and will open with a capacity for 800 students and 134 child-care spaces for infants, preschool and school-aged children, supporting access to early learning for families in the area."