The federal and B.C. governments are billing Ottawa’s new child-care affordability plan as a financial boon for thousands of parents in B.C.
The plan will reduce child-care fees and put hundreds of dollars per month back in parents’ pockets, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby in Richmond on Friday.
In November last year, B.C. was the first province to sign an agreement for Canada’s federal child-care plan.
“At a time when global inflation is driving up the cost of so many essentials, child-care fees are going down in B.C.,” said Eby in a news release.
“That’s because we chose to invest in children and families. Expanding access to high-quality, affordable child care opens up access to opportunity, and is key to making sure we have the skilled workforce we need to keep our communities running.”
The ChildCareBC plan was launched in 2018 with a goal of uniting various programs and services, and addressing rising fees.
“As of yesterday, we cut child-care fees in half on average across British Columbia – saving families up to an additional $550 a month per child,” Trudeau added.
“We’re going to continue to be there for people as we work toward delivering $10-a-day child care across the country and build an economy that works for all Canadians.”
The province says reductions in child-care fees of up to $550 per child, per month, took effect Thursday, and about 69,000 families will benefit. The new savings are in addition to $350 in monthly savings introduced in 2018.
“We know families in B.C. are struggling with the cost of living, and a lot of parents are worried about making ends meet heading into the holiday season,” said B.C. Child Care Minister Katrina Chen in the release.
“This is bringing us another step closer to $10-a-day child care for all families that need or want it and helping families get ahead.”
The federal government agreement is aiming to help provinces reduce child-care fees by an average of 50 per cent by the end of 2022 and to reach the goal of $10 a day by 2026.