Cuts will 'penalize poorest people'
Burnaby Now
April 11, 2007
By: Erin Hitchcock

A child-care advocacy group will try to determine the impacts of federal funding cuts to child care in Burnaby.

At last Monday night's city council meeting, councillors showed their disapproval of the cuts.

"I'm appalled at what's happened," said acting mayor, Coun. Garth Evans. "I can't understand the federal government acting in this fashion.

"What it does, of course, is penalize the poorest people in our society, the people that most need the help and the people who are trying to get out of poverty and need day-care assistance.

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said the Child Care Resources Group will be conducting a survey of Burnaby parents and child-care providers about how the cuts will affect them.

"In 2007 specifically, what they're planning to do is conduct a survey of Burnaby based child-care providers regarding the impact of the termination of the early learning and child-care agreement and the consequent provincial funding cuts to enrollment and viability of their operations," Dhaliwal said. "This group works very hard on behalf of the children in Burnaby."

The results of the survey will then be presented to the social issues committee, city council and child-care providers in May.

The survey will also include the amount of spaces that will have to be closed as a result of the cuts.

"One number that came earlier was evident that one group alone was going to lose $24,000," Dhaliwal said. "It's not strictly losing the spaces, but the standard of the service is also going to be affected."

According to a city staff report, senior government funding "has been in a state of flux" for child care in the last few years, causing disruption and uncertainty among parents and child care providers.

Because of this, the CCRG has been monitoring the impact of the government's changes to funding and the child care system in Burnaby....

Last May, representatives of the CCRG spoke to the Social Issues Committee about the possible impacts to families and child-care providers due to the cancellation of the ELCC agreement.

City council then joined the Code Blue Campaign that was launched by the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada to persuade the federal government to keep the agreement that was supposed to carry on for five years.

The Child Care Planning and Resource Package, created in 1999, will focus this year on the impacts of the funding reductions.

According to the report, the Child Care Resources Group has been focusing on research, advocacy, information, support and the implementation of the Burnaby Child Care Policy.

This year, the group intends to continue monitoring funding reductions to child care. They also plan to develop strategies to add to the city's inventory of secure and suitable programming space for child care.

The group, which was established in 1990 as a subcommittee of the Social Issues Committee, includes representatives from the Fraser Health Authority, the Burnaby School District, provincial ministries and the city's planning and parks, recreation and cultural services department.

The CCRG serves as an advisory to the Social Issues Committee on child-care issues and assists with developing Burnaby child-care policies, services and programs.