News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "In spring 2026, the Educational Assistant Internship Program will be expanded to give school boards across Alberta greater access to trained educational assistants, helping ease staffing pressures and better support students in increasingly complex classrooms. Since 2023, Alberta’s government has provided this program with more than $2 million, supporting more than 1,280 educational assistants. Educational assistants in the program receive online learning, in-class practical experience, ongoing coaching, mentoring and access to a community of practice. The flexible design allows school authorities to adapt the program to local needs."

Excerpt: "The Yukon’s education system needs to focus on the interests of students. Budget 2026 will provide the resources to equip students for the future, making sure the education system serves all Yukon communities and provides appropriate supports for students, educators and families… $1.9 million in additional support for universal child care, keeping care affordable for families… $2.8 million to increase physical accessibility of existing child care spaces and help organizations create new ones in underserved communities."

Excerpt: "$10-a-day child care will continue into the 2026-27 fiscal year. To ensure this is successful the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will develop a steering committee that will make recommendations regarding changes and benefit improvements for early childhood educators. These changes will help to recruit more educators to work in child care and retain those already in the workforce. The Early Childhood Educator Steering Committee requested by the sector will include representative groups of educators from across the province and the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador. It will inform changes to the wage grid and workforce policies and help develop an implementation plan for benefits. This work will also help identify current workforce challenges and propose potential solutions."

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 school will be built to an initial capacity of 675 students, with a core design accommodating up to 800 to support future enrolment growth. The facility will exceed 82,000 sq. ft. and include classroom spaces, a gymnasium, a multipurpose room and specialized learning areas including human ecology and applied technology. An integrated child-care facility will provide up to 104 infant and preschool spaces for children age zero to six, with 30 school-age, shared-use spaces for before- and after-school care, for a total of 134 new child-care spaces."

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."