Child referral program dodges federal bullet - for now
Cariboo Press - Kitimat Sentinel
13 Jun 2007
By: Ryan Calvery
EXCERPT

Despite a provincial government announcement earlier this year that the Kitimat office of Child Care Resource Referral would close, the organization is still maintaining a presence in the community.

Thanks to a generous landlord and help from the Terrace CCRR office, the Kitimat branch is still hanging in there.

"We can't do as much as be used to," admitted Kitimat CCRR co-ordinator Kiran Chhina...

But when the Conservative federal government came into power last year, it dissolved an agreement with provincial governments to fund a number of child care programs, Ann Peltier of the Terrace CCRR told the Sentinel.

A budget ranging between $14 and $15 million was slashed to $9 million, she added.

As a result the provincial government made cuts across the board, including the closure of three offices, Kitimat being one.

Minister of state for Childcare Linda Reid announced in April the Kitimat office would close only 10 months after it opened.

The responsibilities for both communities was to fall on the Terrace branch, which was how it was before last year, Peltier recalled....

With no office in town, Terrace representatives used to have to rent or borrow space, Peltier added.

So it just made sense for the Terrace office to take a few more cutback hits in order to maintain an employee in Kitimat, she explained.

"To lose the infrastructure and connections would not be good."

Previously the office had two employees but Terrace could only afford to maintain one.

The CCRR would have lost their office facilities in Kitimat too, if it were not for the kindness of the landlord - currently they are not paying rent for the space.

"We have an extremely generous landlord," Peltier said. "But of course, if he does have an occupant then we have to leave." ...

The contract between the provincial government and the Terrace CCRR to operate the Kitimat branch will run out at the end of March next year.

"As the contract is now we will be responsible for some of the service in Kitimat," Peltier said. "And we will try to lobby the government for more funds."

As for the future after the contract expires next year, Peltier admitted she has no idea - although she would like to see a stand alone Kitimat branch in operation again.