The big news for families with children is that starting in October 2020 a new B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit will replace the Early Childhood Tax benefit. In our annual Child Poverty Report Card we have been calling for improvements to this benefit for years. BC is the only province MORE
The Canadian Psychological Association and the Psychology Foundation of Canada have collaboratively released a report on the topic of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2015) report. The task force was created in order to develop concrete, action-oriented recommendations to improve the field’s service to the First Nations, Métis, MORE
Alberta-based scholars Dr. Peter Choate and Gabrielle Lindstrom describe how parenting capacity assessments in Canada have been and continue to be used to extend the colonial position of child protection in relation to First Nations populations. They explain that the methods to decide if a parent is “good enough” to MORE
The Early Childhood Education Report has been released every three years since 2011. The 2017 report was released last week, which evaluates the quality of provincial and territorial early years services by looking at details of each jurisdiction. Nineteen benchmarks, organized into five equally weighted categories, evaluate governance structures, funding levels, access, MORE
CBC News: Human rights complaint filed against Neufeld and the school board Global News: Chilliwack trustee Barry Neufeld faces call from parents’ group to resign Province: Chilliwack teachers say education board has created ‘toxic’ environment Global News: Union files human rights complaint against trustee Barry Neufeld and Chilliwack school board Abbotsford News: Chilliwack board of MORE
Vancouver’s City Council has recently approved Vancouver: A City For All Women, Women’s Equity Strategy 2018-2028 this month. The strategy aims to make Vancouver a place where “all women have full access to the resources provided in the city and have opportunities to fully participate in the political, economic, cultural and social MORE
The holidays can be a very stressful time for families. With the cost of gifts high and the expectations of children through the roof, not to mention the holiday juggle, the challenges of family dynamics and the pressure to ‘get it all right’, the holidays can be more stressful than MORE
A BC family has issued a desperate call for more supports for their mentally ill child and their family, highlighting research and a recent call to action issued by BC’s Representative for Children and Youth, called Missing Pieces: Joshua’s Story. The Potma family has cried foul about a lack of support services for MORE
The Society for Children and Youth of BC’s new Child and Youth Legal Centre now has services available. The Child and Youth Legal Centre is committed to improving the well-being of children and youth in British Columbia through the advancement of their legal rights. The role of the Centre is MORE
Data in the 2017 BC Child Poverty Report Card, released today by First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, highlights the income inequality that leaves far too many British Columbia families struggling to cover basic living expenses. One in five of our children still lives in poverty. Using the MORE
Beginning in July 2018, Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payments will be adjusted as the cost of living increases, nearly two years ahead of the previously planned adjustment. According to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, a family with two children will pocket approximately a $200 increase in Canada child benefit payments starting MORE
The fall economic update also includes an increase to the federal Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB). For some time, policy advocates such as the Caledon Institute for Public Policy have suggested the WITB needs increased benefit levels and extended coverage. Government will now enhance the WITB by $500 million annually MORE
First Call’s budget submission to the provincial Finance Committee for the 2018 budget makes 23 specific recommendations covering early childhood, public education, poverty reduction, supports and services for vulnerable children, youth and families and post-secondary education. Some highlights are: Redesign the BC Early Childhood Tax Benefit into a BC Child MORE
The BC government has made available $6.4 million to BC First Nations communities and agencies aimed specifically at family reunification and preservation, and will increase that funding to $9.5 annually starting in 2018. “Indigenous communities are in the best position to identify and deliver services and supports that will have MORE
Until 5pm, October 16, the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) is surveying stakeholders on their work for Indigenous children, families and communities. Data collected will be kept confidential and the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. Take the survey