Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Feds, Alberta sign child-care deal

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Jul, 2020 10:07 PM
  • Feds, Alberta sign child-care deal

The federal Liberals and Alberta's United Conservatives have agreed on a one-year extension to child-care funding that will also help offset costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Alberta, the one-year deal will mean more than $45 million this fiscal year to create new licensed child-care spaces through capital and program grants and subsidies for more lower-income families.

The provincial government is also planning to use $4.7 million of the funding for training.

The province says there is $10 million leftover in funding from its previous deal with Ottawa that is being rolled over to help centres offset costs associated with COVID-19 closures and reopening to help programs remain financially viable.

The money is part of a 10-year, $7-billion funding pledge the Trudeau Liberals unveiled in 2017 — not the $625-million, eight-month pledge the Liberals have made under a "safe restart" agreement with provinces.

Money to provinces flows through one-on-one agreements that originally lasted three years, worth about $1.2 billion in federal funding.

Both levels of government planned to signed renewed deals this year, but that was before the pandemic struck.

All parties agreed to roll over the funding for another year to buy more time for longer-term deals, meaning Ottawa would ship about $400 million to provinces this fiscal year.

Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen is scheduled to make an announcement Friday morning in Ottawa about the "safe restart" money.

Earlier this week, Hussen told The Canadian Press the pandemic money for child care matched what provinces, territories and child-care experts pitched to help the sector manage the immediate costs of COVID-19.

He added the pandemic money will be aimed at helping daycares pay for protectiv

MORE National ARTICLES

Wreckage of six-vehicle crash cleared near Sicamous

Wreckage of six-vehicle crash cleared near Sicamous
Police say wreckage from a six-vehicle crash that closed the Trans-Canada Highway west of Sicamous, B.C., was cleared away by Thursday.

Wreckage of six-vehicle crash cleared near Sicamous

Study suggests 8 times more people in B.C. infected with virus than confirmed

Study suggests 8 times more people in B.C. infected with virus than confirmed
A new study suggests eight times as many people in Metro Vancouver have been infected by the novel coronavirus than the rate of reported cases. The joint study has been conducted by researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, University of B.C., LifeLabs and public health scientists. 

Study suggests 8 times more people in B.C. infected with virus than confirmed

Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, billionaires, and companies targeted in an unprecedented social media breach

Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, billionaires, and companies targeted in an unprecedented social media breach
High profile individuals such as Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other Twitter account users were targeted in a widespread hack to offer fake bitcoin deals on Wednesday in one of the most unprecedented security breaches on a social media site.

Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, billionaires, and companies targeted in an unprecedented social media breach

30 year old South Asian man killed on Monday seen a valued member of the community

30 year old South Asian man killed on Monday seen a valued member of the community
The 30-year-old man who was shot and killed in Vancouver's Punjabi Market on Monday has received kudos from the Vancouver Punjabi Market on their Instagram page.

30 year old South Asian man killed on Monday seen a valued member of the community

Bank of Canada says rates will stay low for a long time.

Bank of Canada says rates will stay low for a long time.
The Bank of Canada left its key interest rate unchanged at 0.25% and says it is likely to remain at that level for at least two years as the economy gradually recovers from the coronavirus pandemic and measures to contain it.

Bank of Canada says rates will stay low for a long time.

Body found after fire in Langley, B.C.: RCMP

Body found after fire in Langley, B.C.: RCMP
Police are investigating after a body was found in a wooded area on the boundary between Langley, B.C., and Surrey on Wednesday morning.

Body found after fire in Langley, B.C.: RCMP