Child-care funding cut by one-third
Vancouver Island News Group -- Courtenay Comox Valley Record
02 May 2007

A one-third cutback in provincial funding will mean less child-care support for Comox Valley parents.

"There will be a cut to staff hours in Nanaimo, Parksville and Courtenay to both administrative staff and child care consultants," PacificCARE executive director Shirley Phillips said in a press release.

"The cuts have made it necessary to lay off child-care consultants in Nanaimo, Campbell River and Port Hardy as of April 30," Phillips said Monday.

Funding has been cut to Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) contracts held by PacificCARE with the Ministry of Children and Family Development. In January the Ministry announced severe cuts that would have seen PacficCARE close completely.

At that time, Linda Reid, the Minister of State for Child Care in B.C., said due to the cancellation of the federal Early Learning and Child Care agreement, every CCRR program in B.C. would be eliminated. Later in the spring, it was announced that some funding was to be continued, but until now that funding amount was unknown.

"To the public, it may seem that the CCRRs are safe now and the Ministry is funding the program again," said Phillips. "However, a 33-per-cent cut is significant and will have a big impact on service."