At the end of June, First Call submitted our recommendations to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as they consider spending priorities in the next provincial budget. This year, in the midst of uncertainty about how COVID-19 has (and will continue to) affect BC’s children, youth and MORE
Today, First Call and Basics for Health Society sent a letter to the BC government urging a coordinated response to children’s health during this COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates, physicians, researchers and health care professionals have come together to voice their alarm about the harmful impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, MORE
Today, First Call’s Early Childhood Development Roundtable (ECDRT) wrote to Ministers Chen and Conroy to share concerns expressed by the forty-three people from around the province who participated in our March 25th meeting. Many issues raised were related to the fragility of providers of early child development services and the MORE
In this year’s BC budget submission, First Call highlights five recommendations from our 2018 Child Poverty Report Card starting with important targeted poverty reduction measures for families living in deep poverty. Key Recommendations 1. Increase income supports for families living in deep poverty 2. Invest in early childhood 3. Ensure MORE
On October 16, 2018, First Call sent a letter to Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen on behalf of the Early Childhood Development Roundtable. The roundtable has been discussing concerns arising from the experiences of families who have children with special needs about the fees they are being MORE
Each year First Call publishes a BC Child Poverty Report Card, analyzing the latest federal and provincial data to accurately portray the extent of child and family poverty in our province. In 2017, using the most recent available data, we found that 153,300, or 1 in 5, BC children are MORE
Published November 21, 2017, in The Province By Adrienne Montani A generational opportunity to change the child-poverty story in B.C. is knocking. The provincial NDP government and the B.C. Green party have committed to work together to design and implement a province-wide poverty reduction strategy. The new cabinet includes a minister MORE
First Call has submitted a written brief, Respecting Child & Youth Rights with Timely Investments, to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as part of their public consultation to prepare British Columbia’s 2018 budget. Each fall, the Committee drafts recommendations for the provincial budget based on the MORE
On September 28, 2017, First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition met with Minister of Children and Family Development Katrine Conroy and Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen, and presented the following briefing note to highlight our coalition’s priorities regarding child welfare and early childhood development, and MORE
Published February 11, 2017, in the Vancouver Sun by Adrienne Montani, Faith Bodnar, Sherry Sinclair and Sharon Gregson As families across British Columbians celebrate the 5th annual B.C. Family Day, it’s a welcome opportunity to spend extra time together, have some fun and celebrate all the wonderful reasons our families are important MORE
2017 fundraising gala details – MSP coverage for all infants – First Call budget submission – and more! Welcome to our monthly update about First Call’s advocacy work and key developments in child and youth policy in BC. Highlights this month include: Guest of Honour: Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond MSP coverage MORE
October 2016 First Call made a written submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services regarding the 2017 provincial budget. (Each fall, the Select Standing Committee holds province-wide public consultations on the next provincial budget, then drafts recommendations for the budget based on the input given.) We MORE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 31, 2016 First Call Coalition members were looking for a 2016 federal budget that put Canada’s children and youth first and that ensured that BC’s children and youth have the resources they need to thrive. We were heartened by a number of new commitments for MORE
September 2015 First Call made a presentation and written submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services regarding the 2016 provincial budget. (Each fall, the Select Standing Committee holds province-wide public consultations on the next provincial budget, then drafts recommendations for the budget based on the input given.) MORE
March 2015 BC Minister for Social Development and Social Innovation Don McRae attended First Call’s 2014 coalition meeting where single mothers described the negative consequences of a policy that treated child support as income, including the deduction of child support payments from disability assistance cheques. In this March letter, First MORE