Province working on pay increases for child-care workers as subsidies for families kick in
The minister responsible for child care in B.C. reaffirmed that the province is looking at ways to increase wages for early childhood educators, as child-care subsidies kick in.
Additional savings for parents came into effect on Dec. 1, providing some with up to an additional $550 per month, per child.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Richmond Friday to promote the subsidies at a joint news conference with Premier David Eby.
“We hear you when you say it’s getting harder to pay the bills due to inflation,” Trudeau said. “We’re continuing to make child care more affordable across the country, including and starting here in B.C.”
The savings are being welcomed by parents and families, but leading to some concerns about staffing.
Meagan Brame, who owns Saxe Point Daycare in Esquimalt, said it’s “brutal” trying to find staff.
“It’s still hard to get people to realize that this is an amazing field to be in,” Brame said. “It’s not always a job that’s been valued over the years.”
With the wage top-ups offered by the province, the average wage for an early childhood educator is currently $25 to $26 per hour, up from $17 to $18 per hour in 2017, according to Katrina Chen, B.C.'s Minister of State for Child Care.
Chen reaffirmed on Friday that the province is working on pay increases.
“We are looking at a wage grid program that will ensure a minimum wage floor and go up from there, and we will have more news from there once that strategy is developed,” she said.
Chen said the province has approved “about 10,500” spaces for $10-a-day child care, with an aim to reach 12,500 by the end of the year. That’s up from around 6,500 in September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received 'last minute' information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn't participate in the apparent attack, officials said.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.