Organizations and individuals can participate in Provincial Budget Consultations via written, audio, video submissions, online survey, and in-person presentations. These consultations are an important opportunity to voice your priorities for government spending and programs impacting children, youth and families. First Call is encouraging submissions and presentations to include our call for enhancing BC’s MORE
Organizations and individuals can participate in Provincial Budget Consultations via written, audio, video submissions, online survey, and in-person presentations. These consultations are an important opportunity to voice your priorities for government spending and programs impacting children, youth and families. First Call is encouraging submissions and presentations to include our call for enhancing BC’s MORE
StarMetro Vancouver: Children being injured on the job: child advocates call for better labour standards CBC News: B.C. labour laws need serious reform, workers’ advocates say CTV News: New report highlights ‘alarming’ state of Canadian kids’ well-being The Kingston Whig Standard: Mental health and obesity, along with math and reading, are issues facing kids MORE
First Call encourages you to participate in upcoming Provincial Budget Consultations by reserving a time to speak at a public hearing near you. These consultations are an important opportunity to voice your priorities for government spending and programs. The Select Standing Committee on Finance will produce a final report on what they MORE
Earlier this week, the Representative for Children and Youth and the Ministry of Children and Family Development released a joint special report. Among other findings, the report notes that in 2017-18, 480 infants were brought into care within the first 12 months of birth and that 273 of those infants were MORE
On August 21st, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos released Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The 100-page plan includes an overview of their past year of consultations and concrete poverty reduction targets: 20 percent reduction in poverty by 2020 and a 50 percent reduction in poverty by 2030. MORE
Thank you to Amy Lubik for sourcing the article. In 2015, a group of researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine and of Public Health conducted a study on children under the age of one at well child cares. The study investigated if systemically screening for unmet basic needs and providing simple MORE
BC Local News: COLUMN: Child poverty still a problem in B.C. CBC News: B.C. First Nation secures federal funding for plan to keep children out of foster care CBC News: Mom says flight attendant told her to keep toddler with autism quiet CBC News: Downtown Eastside daycare closing after failing to meet city grant MORE
An open letter released this week signed by First Call and more than 100 members of the public health community called for an authentic public health approach to reduce public health and safety concerns in tent cities. The letter calls on the provincial government to adopt the following 5 principles: Build MORE
The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC) encourages you to meet your MLA and ask them to ensure the upcoming poverty reduction plan is Accountable: embed strong accountability measures Bold: take bold, immediate action Comprehensive: develop a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with short, medium and long-term actions in 7 policy areas The PRC provides MORE
Global News: Victoria daycare operator says she’s got the space, but can’t find staff to open National Post: Children with disabilities need better access to sport Vancouver Sun: Jordan Westfall: Getting us out of the overdose epidemic will require bold action from government StarMetro Vancouver: A B.C. reserve has been MORE
On August 3, First Call participated in the federal government’s Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2019 Budget with a submission that made recommendations in three key areas: 1. Tax Fairness and Income Support: Leveling the playing field for Canada’s children and youth is one of the best investments government can make MORE
University of Victoria researchers teamed up to share findings of a long-term study of street-involved youth in BC. The researchers followed 200 participants over a period of 6-10 years and held interviews throughout the process. The findings speak to the nature of the instability they experience and their struggles toward adult lives MORE
A new, two-part study from the Angus Reid Institute examines the state of poverty in Canada by looking at lived experiences instead of income. The first chapter looks at four groups of poverty: Struggling, On the Edge, Recently Comfortable, and Always Comfortable. Respondents who are Struggling were most likely to be Indigenous, MORE
Join Elizabeth Fry in calling on the Government of Canada to ensure the rights of homeless and other vulnerable children are protected. EFry calls on the federal government for: Children in informal living arrangements to be eligible to receive the Canada Child Benefit and Child Special Allowances. That children who MORE