Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Feds award $15 million contract to Sun Life to lay groundwork for dental care program

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Sep, 2023 01:03 PM
  • Feds award $15 million contract to Sun Life to lay groundwork for dental care program

The federal government has awarded a contract worth up to $15 million to lay the groundwork for a new national dental insurance plan.

The new plan, which was a key demand from the NDP as part of the its supply and confidence agreement with the governing Liberals, will replace the interim dental benefit for kids rolled out last year.

Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Health Minister Mark Holland announced Wednesday the first contract for the new program was awarded to Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada.

This initial contract is to cover setup costs while the final contract for the plan itself is negotiated. Initial costs include recruitment, technology and business planning.

The federal government says this interim agreement will allow for the "timely launch and successful operation" of the plan.

"The main contract is expected to be awarded in fall 2023, pending Government of Canada approval," a news release said.

In 2022 the Liberals delivered on a temporary dental benefit worth up to $650 for each child under 12, depending on family income. Last spring the government said 300,000 children had already received the benefit to help cover dental fees.

The NDP has pushed for dental care coverage for years and made it a deal breaker in negotiations with the Liberals in exchange for NDP support on key votes in the minority Parliament.

The new insurance program is expected to launch later this year with initial coverage for kids under the age of 18, people with disabilities and seniors.

The spring budget promised $13 billion over the next five years to implement the national dental care plan, which the federal government says will insure up to nine million people.

Families with net annual incomes below $90,000 will be covered by the plan, while those with incomes below $70,000 will have dental coverage with no co-pays.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

"A preoccupation with failure." Why the Titan submersible was doomed from the start

Jack Rozdilsky, a professor at York University in Toronto,  says OceanGate's business — ferrying paying passengers to the floor of the North Atlantic — could be compared to the immensely risky work of companies that launch space flights, drill for offshore oil, fight wildfires or operate nuclear power plants.

"A preoccupation with failure." Why the Titan submersible was doomed from the start

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable
The poster is the latest in a string of problems in recent weeks that have increased tension between Ottawa and New Delhi over Sikh separatists in Canada. A poster for the event circulating on social media includes photos of India's top two diplomats in Canada — High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Toronto Consul General Apoorva Srivastava — and refers to them as "the faces of Niijar's killers in Toronto."

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Europe next week for the annual NATO leaders' summit. The two-day summit in Lithuania starts July 11 and comes as the alliance has agreed to extend the term of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by another year.  

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled
One of the students, speaking anonymously, stated, "On July 1, around 9 p.m., we received an email from Air India informing us of a five-hour delay, and the new departure time was set for 2.45 p.m. However, when we arrived at the airport, we discovered that the flight had been delayed for an additional hour."

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled

Fierce blaze damages several businesses, forces evacuation in downtown Vernon, B.C.

Fierce blaze damages several businesses, forces evacuation in downtown Vernon, B.C.
The single-storey complex has been heavily damaged, prompting the owner of the Okanagan Eatery, one of the affected businesses, to post a photo of the flames online, writing, "Wow, no words. Guess that's it."

Fierce blaze damages several businesses, forces evacuation in downtown Vernon, B.C.

Evacuation alerts end for Kelowna, B.C., residents as wildfire under control

Evacuation alerts end for Kelowna, B.C., residents as wildfire under control
Residents in the Poplar Point, Knox Mountain, Magic Estates and Clifton areas near the fire were under an evacuation order on Canada Day that was later downgraded to an alert as crews fought the flames. Kelowna RCMP assisted with an evacuation of more than 400 properties.

Evacuation alerts end for Kelowna, B.C., residents as wildfire under control