Close X
Friday, November 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. increases pay for foster families

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Mar, 2023 02:09 PM
  • B.C. increases pay for foster families

VICTORIA - Foster families in British Columbia will get a monthly pay raise of hundreds of dollars starting April 1.

Mitzi Dean, the child and family development minister, says families fostering kids 11 and under will see their payments increase by $450 a month to $1,465 per child, while caregivers for those 12 to 19 will see a $531 monthly increase to $1,655 per child.

Dean says rates were frozen for nearly a decade under the previous government, and the latest increase is the second implemented since the New Democrats came to power in 2017.

The minister says the increased funding will fill a "critical need" for those families hit by inflation who need to provide children with food, clothing and other essentials.

Dean says funding is also increasing for other caregivers, including those with high- and special-needs children, along with so-called kinship families who take children under their care from family members.

Katie Robertson, executive director of the Parent Support Services Society of B.C., says she was raised in a kinship care situation herself and the increased funding will give kids security and stability, while helping keep families intact.

MORE National ARTICLES

Suspect charged with mischief after more than 20 panes of glass were intentionally shattered at bus shelters: VPD

Suspect charged with mischief after more than 20 panes of glass were intentionally shattered at bus shelters: VPD
VPD officers responded to Granville and Georgia Street around 1:30 a.m. following reports that a man with a hammer was walking down the street and smashing glass at bus stops. Sergey Kurmanaev was taken to jail and has been charged with one count of mischief over $5,000.

Suspect charged with mischief after more than 20 panes of glass were intentionally shattered at bus shelters: VPD

Brace for familiar Canada-U.S. trade anxiety

Brace for familiar Canada-U.S. trade anxiety
The U.S. remains unhappy with how Canada has allocated the quotas that give American dairy producers access to markets north of the border. Canada and Mexico both took issue with how the U.S. defined foreign auto content. And Canada and the U.S. oppose Mexico favouring state-owned energy providers.    

Brace for familiar Canada-U.S. trade anxiety

Park board has tips to 'respect' Vancouver coyotes

Park board has tips to 'respect' Vancouver coyotes
Coyotes are found across Vancouver and prefer sheltered, wooded areas to raise their families, so the board says it will occasionally close trails in high-traffic locations like Stanley Park where they are known to frequent.

Park board has tips to 'respect' Vancouver coyotes

Climate group urges 'made-in-Canada' response

Climate group urges 'made-in-Canada' response
The institute says the federal government shouldn't try to match the incentives and subsidies offered by the U.S. and instead tailor its measures for Canada. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has signalled the March 28 budget will include ways to keep Canada competitive as countries transition their economies to cleaner energy and technologies.    

Climate group urges 'made-in-Canada' response

Federal minimum wage rising to $16.65 per hour

Federal minimum wage rising to $16.65 per hour
The federal minimum wage is rising to $16.65 per hour on April 1, up from $15.55. Ottawa set a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour in 2021 and increases it each year based on inflation. The changes are made every year on April 1.

Federal minimum wage rising to $16.65 per hour

Canada's passport backlog 'completely eliminated'

Canada's passport backlog 'completely eliminated'
She also announced that Ottawa is launching a new digital tool that will allow Canadians to check the status of their Service Canada application online, as long as they provide an email address.

Canada's passport backlog 'completely eliminated'