Money set for child care disappears in bureaucracy
Times Colonist (Victoria)
16 Nov 2007
By: Norma Greenaway

OTTAWA -- Canadians wanting to track what has happened to more than $3 billion in federal funds earmarked for early childhood initiatives since 2001 have bumped up against incomplete and confusing reporting by most provinces and territories, says a major national study being released today.

The study, financed by federal funds, said eight of Canada's 13 provinces and territories were missing reports for one or more years on how the money was divvied up on child care and other child development initiatives within their borders from 2001 through 2006.

"Generally speaking, it would be unreasonable to expect a typical member of the public on their own time to be able to take these reports and assess programs," Lynell Anderson, a professional accountant and one of the report's authors, said in an interview from Vancouver.

The idea behind the public reporting requirement of the federal-provincial agreements was to give residents a chance to see whether their provincial and territorial leaders were living up to commitments made to use the federal dollars to enhance child-care opportunities and early childhood development services within their borders.

Anderson said that although the survey found pockets of good information and no evidence of the funds being siphoned off to unrelated programs, the overall reporting picture was weak.

She said some governments flooded their websites with pictures of smiling babies and pages and pages of data that were almost impossible to decipher….

On the more positive side, Anderson said the tracking showed there was a substantial increase in the accessibility and affordability of child care for lower-income families and a "modest" increase in the number of trained staff and regulated spaces across the country.

Anderson said significant reporting gaps were found in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. B.C. was among the best performers.