Government announces $217 million over three years for MCFD

By Justin McElroy Global News

Posted February 16, 2016 10:39 pm

Updated August 4, 2016 10:10 pm

2 min read

If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us.

This article is more than 8 years old and some information may not be up to date.

Click to play video: 'B.C. Budget 2016: Care for B.C.’s vulnerable children'

4:45 B.C. Budget 2016: Care for B.C.’s vulnerable children

WATCH: Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is pleased with today’s budget announcement regarding care for some of B.C.’s most vulnerable children. But Stephanie Smith from BCGEU feels there is still more work that needs to be done – Feb 16, 2016

Advocates for the British Columbia’s most vulnerable youth expressed cautious optimism at the provincial government’s announcement that over 100 front-line workers would be hired for the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

“Additional front-line social workers, and support staff, will improve the lives of vulnerable children and families in crisis who rely on these services,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union.

“However, the province still needs to increase wages in this sector to prevent skilled social workers from moving to provinces that pay considerably more.”

The government says they will increase funding to the ministry by $217 million over three years, in the following areas:

$152 million for children in care and related programs
$51 million for children and youth in care with special needs
$11 million for child care centres
$3 million for helping adoption of children in care

“No child should have to live in poverty and uncertainty, and government has an amazing staff of dedicated professionals who, along with countless dedicated individuals in service agencies, foster families and other areas of support, have spent their careers on the frontlines working to make life better for these children.”

Story continues below advertisement

Turpel-Lafond: “budget lift is overdue”

The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world.

B.C.’s representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, had been calling for the government to increase funding by close to $100 million a year to make up for cuts made to the ministry last decade.

More on BC

“It won’t close the $100 million hole that’s there,” she said.

“To some extent what the budget today reflects is that the government has been pennywise and proud foolish. They’ve had stand pat budgets that got to the position where they actually compromised public safety, and now they’ve started to fill it back in.”

WATCH: Sophie Lui talks to Finance Minister Mike de Jong about this year’s provincial budget, including how fair the MSP changes are, and the measures meant to address Vancouver’s soaring real estate prices.

Click to play video: 'One-on-one with de Jong on B.C. budget'

9:12 One-on-one with de Jong on B.C. budget

Turpel-Lafond has been sharply critical of spending practices in the ministry before, and cautioned that it remained to be seen where exactly the new funds would go.

Story continues below advertisement

“Now that the money has come back, a lot will depend on whether the money is connected to children. The money can’t be spent on business consultants and management consultants to do vanity makeovers,” she said.

Overall, the budget for the ministry will increase from $1.4 billion this year to $1.5 billion next fiscal year — but the NDP says it’s not enough.

“It’s a step in the right direction, but they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this point. Their first three years in office, they reduced funding for [MCFD] by 28 per cent, this will increase funding the next three years by 18 per cent,” said NDP leader John Horgan.

“We’re still well in a deep hole, and it’ll take a long time getting out of it.”