New Metro Child Care Spaces to Support Recruitment and Retention in Health Care

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Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-30 12:40:16.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Education, Social Services, Labour]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing $1 million through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to fund up to 72 new child care spaces at the Unity Health Centre on Stavanger Drive in St. John's, operated by YWCA St. John's. Announced by Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Paul Dinn and Health and Community Services Minister Joedy Wall, the project provides priority access to all health care professionals to support workforce recruitment and retention. NL Health Services and YWCA St. John's endorsed the initiative, noting it will particularly assist workers requiring shift work and support gender equity in the labour market.

Unreliable safety inspections at N.W.T. daycares put kids at risk, auditors find

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-21 23:14:15.0
Tags: [National, Education, Social Services, Governance]

A report by the Auditor General of Canada revealed that the Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment failed to fulfill key early learning and child care responsibilities, putting children at risk through unreliable safety inspections and a lack of follow-up on high-risk deficiencies such as missing smoke detectors. Auditors reviewed 44 inspection files and found that approximately 20 percent used outdated criteria, inspectors lacked formal standardized training, and the department disbursed funds to child care facilities without verifying enrollment reports or staff timesheets. Furthermore, the department fell short on monitoring inclusive child care spaces and failed to properly track recruitment and retention following the 2021 federal-territorial child care agreement.

New Child Care Advisory Panel to Help Make Improvements to Child Care Services

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-19 13:00:57.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Education, Social Services, Indigenous]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, led by Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Paul Dinn, has established a 12-member Child Care Advisory Panel composed of child care operators to provide insights and recommendations on expanding child care services. Budget 2026 allocates nearly $33 million to support child care spaces, encompassing approximately 1,200 spaces in progress and the creation of an additional 400 new spaces, building on more than 470 spaces opened since October 2025. Additionally, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will issue a focused expression of interest to secure Indigenous representation on the panel. The panel operates alongside an early childhood educator steering committee tasked with guiding the introduction of pensions and benefits for early childhood educators in the province.

Youth Helping Shape FUSION Plus as Program Moves Closer to Opening

Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-10-16 02:00:00.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, Housing, Social Services, Education, Labour]

The Government of Saskatchewan and EGADZ provided an update on FUSION Plus, a supported housing initiative for up to 40 youth aged 16 to 21 currently or previously in the care of the Ministry of Social Services. The program is moving closer to its opening later this year and incorporates youth engagement through the Saskatoon Youth Advisory Team to shape life skills development, education supports, employment readiness, and wellness services. The project involves partnerships between EGADZ, the provincial ministries of Social Services, Health, and Immigration and Career Training, Foundations Learning, and the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP).

What Alberta’s Education Act says about access to education — and what a yes vote could mean for non-permanent residents

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-07 11:02:15.0
Tags: [Alberta, Education, Immigration, Governance, Social Services]

Premier Danielle Smith's government in Alberta is holding an October 19 referendum featuring five immigration-related questions, targeting non-permanent residents' access to publicly funded services such as education and healthcare. The proposed changes could lead to charging non-permanent residents a "reasonable fee" for education—similar to international tuition fees ranging from $11,000 to $14,000 depending on the school board—or requiring a one-year residency before becoming eligible for public services. Under the current Alberta Education Act, children between 6 and 19 years of age whose parents are residents of Canada lawfully entitled to be in the country are entitled to education and full provincial funding, a framework that would require statutory amendments to implement the referendum's proposed restrictions. Statistics Canada data cited in the report notes that Alberta had 281,857 non-permanent residents as of December 2025, which included 45,554 temporary resident students costing the province approximately $544 million annually for the 2026 school year.

Minister Dinn Announces Funding for Kids Eat Smart Foundation

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-06 17:15:44.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Education, Social Services, Affordability]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development led by Minister Paul Dinn, announced $1,393,700 (approximately $1.4 million) in provincial funding for the Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador. The grant supports the Kids Eat Smart breakfast program, which operates 275 clubs across schools and community centres, serving 47,000 breakfast meals each school day and totaling 6.3 million meals annually at no cost to families.

Ottawa Commits Additional Funding for Federal Child Care Program in Ontario

Source: Ontario - Ministry of Education
Date: 2026-09-29 14:34:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, National, Education, Social Services, Affordability, Finance]

Ontario Minister of Education Paul Calandra announced that the federal government has extended additional funding to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program, maintaining current average child care fees at $19 a day with maximum caps at $22 per day until June 30, 2027. Between the 2021-22 and 2026-27 fiscal years, Ontario is investing approximately $34.5 billion in child care and early years programs, which includes $12.3 billion dedicated specifically to child care programs, fee subsidies, wage enhancements, EarlyON Child and Family Centres, and the CARE tax credit. Both governments have committed to ongoing discussions regarding long-term program sustainability beyond June 2027 to ensure continued stability for families and the child care sector.

Province and feds extending affordable child-care program in Ontario, but fees stay the same

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-29 13:51:37.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Education, Social Services, Affordability]

The federal government and the Government of Ontario have agreed to a four-year extension of the national affordable child-care program, backed by a funding envelope of nearly $12 billion plus a share of an additional $5.4 billion. Under the agreement, Ontario has committed to maintaining parent fees at an average of $19 a day—capped at $22—until June 30, 2027, falling short of the national program's $10-a-day goal. The province has created nearly 60,000 of its targeted 86,000 affordable child-care spaces as waitlists continue to grow across the province.

Advocates plea for feds to call inquiry into Alberta, Sask. trans laws

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-28 21:01:30.0
Tags: [Alberta, Saskatchewan, National, Education, Healthcare, Social Services, Justice]

LGBTQ+ advocates are petitioning the federal government in Ottawa to call a formal national inquiry into provincial legislation enacted in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The contested laws include parental consent mandates for students under 16 altering their names or pronouns at school, bans on transgender athletes aged 12 and older participating in competitive female sports, and restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for youth. Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe utilized the notwithstanding clause to protect these legislative measures from judicial review.

Expanding Violence Prevention Through Education: More School Staff to Receive Commit to Kids Training

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-09-23 18:45:02.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Education, Social Services, Public Safety]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced $200,000 in joint funding through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence to expand the Commit to Kids online training program. Administered by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and supported by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, the initiative aims to train an additional 1,000 school staff members—including teachers, administrators, student assistants, and bus drivers across the kindergarten to Grade 12 system—to recognize and respond to signs of child abuse. This expansion builds on previous training delivered since 2024 to 1,140 personnel supporting grades 7 through 12, and complements updates to the provincial health education curriculum focused on trauma-informed learning regarding healthy relationships, consent, and online safety.

New Brunswick tries new approach after disappointing results under 10-year education plan

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-15 21:48:03.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Education, Governance, Social Services]

The Government of New Brunswick, under Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson, has launched a new long-term education strategy aimed at reversing declining student performance following a decade of failing outcomes. Recent 2025 testing data showed New Brunswick ranking last among Canadian provinces in reading, math, and science, with performance dropping roughly 35 points below the national average, alongside an Auditor General report showing missed literacy targets from 2022 to 2025. The new plan introduces three-year review cycles with annual targets focused on foundational literacy and numeracy, student well-being, nutritional support through subsidized breakfast and lunch programs, and a provincial cellphone ban in classrooms.

P.E.I. restores full funding for child-care support workers through March 2027

Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-14 17:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Education, Social Services, Labour, Finance]

The Government of Prince Edward Island reversed its previously planned 25% funding cut to pedagogical support workers in child-care centres, fully funding the positions through the end of March 2027. Education and Early Years Minister Robin Croucher stated that the province reallocated money within its existing budget to maintain the roles while negotiating longer-term support under the federal $10-a-day child-care program. Introduced in 2022, the pedagogical support funding helps early-years centres hire additional staff to mentor educators, support new graduates, and assist with planning. Additionally, the province and the Early Childhood Development Association of P.E.I. collaborated through a working group to establish a new operational policy defining the scope of these support positions, which is set to take effect on April 1, 2027.

23 new, improved schools opening in B.C., including one in North Vancouver

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-11 17:45:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Infrastructure, Education, Social Services]

The Government of British Columbia announced the opening of 23 new and improved schools for September 2026, marking 250 school capital projects across the province since 2017. This includes the new $61 million Cloverley Elementary School in North Vancouver, which provides 585 student seats built using mass-timber and energy-efficient designs, representing the first new elementary school to open in the district in 35 years. Additionally, the project features a 92-space child care centre supported by nearly $3.7 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and operated by North Shore Neighbourhood House.

New Brunswick launches subsidized school lunch program amid rollout delays

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-10 22:08:08.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Education, Social Services, Affordability]

The Government of New Brunswick has launched a provincewide subsidized school lunch program backed by $26 million in funding for the current school year. Meals are priced at $4 for students up to Grade 8 and $5 for high school students, with the province subsidizing the remaining costs and offering full subsidies for eligible families. Although the program is operating in approximately 80 per cent of schools, 56 school cafeterias are experiencing rollout delays due to workforce shortages of gas fitters, electricians, and plumbers needed to install equipment such as fridges and stoves. Premier Susan Holt stated that the remaining schools are expected to achieve full service within a couple of weeks, with contingency meals being provided in the interim.

Expanding health-care administration training opportunities for people in Prince George

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-10 16:00:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Labour, Healthcare, Social Services, Education]

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia are investing nearly $600,000 through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement to fund the Helping Hands project in Prince George. Delivered by Kopar Administration Ltd. in partnership with the College of New Caledonia, the 25-week free training program is designed to provide 30 participants facing barriers to employment with occupational skills, industry-recognized certifications, and a two-week workplace practicum in health-care administration. Two cohorts are scheduled: the first from July 20, 2026, to January 22, 2027, and the second from November 9, 2026, to May 14, 2027.

Government of Saskatchewan Strengthens Partnership with Roadways Literacy Academy to Support Student Literacy

Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-09-10 02:00:00.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, Education, Social Services]

The Government of Saskatchewan is strengthening its partnership with Roadways Literacy Academy by designating it as an alternative independent school starting in the 2026-27 school year. The Ministry of Education will provide $403,000 annually through a service agreement—an increase of $175,000 over previous levels. Additionally, the province will provide up to $1.56 million from September 1, 2026, to March 31, 2029, to support specialized literacy programming and intensive direct services for students with specific learning disabilities and reading challenges.

New funding commitment from territory isn’t enough to fill gap left by Jordan’s Principle, say educators

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-04 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Education, Social Services, Indigenous, Finance]

The Northwest Territories Department of Education committed $35 million per year for at least three years toward inclusive schooling, staff training, and early childhood development. This territorial funding fails to fully offset a nearly $60 million loss in federal Jordan's Principle funding, prompting the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association to warn that schools remain severely underfunded and facing staff shortages. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland stated that the territory is assessing its funding formula while continuing to advocate for additional federal support.

Saskatchewan Residents Support Social Media Limits for Youth

Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-09-03 16:24:34.794894
Tags: [Saskatchewan, National, Social Services, Technology, Education]

The Government of Saskatchewan released findings from a province-wide survey showing that 86.34 per cent of respondents support implementing social media limits for children under the age of 16 across major platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. The survey, which also gathered input from non-profit organization Youth Matter Canada, indicated that respondents generally favor restrictions for youth aged 16 and under, though YouTube was most frequently identified as warranting an exemption. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr confirmed that the results have been forwarded to the Federal Government to help inform broader discussions regarding online safety and youth wellbeing.

Ontario Investing Nearly $3.9 Million to Train More Women for Careers in the Skilled Trades

Source: Ontario - Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
Date: 2026-09-02 16:30:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Labour, Education, Social Services, Economy]

The Ontario government is investing nearly $3.9 million through the sixth round of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream across four training projects to prepare more than 310 women for careers in the skilled trades. The funded organizations include Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region receiving $2,000,048 for 42 survivors of gender-based violence, The Redwood receiving $914,110 for 100 survivors, the Canadian Association of Women in Construction receiving $459,675 for 120 women in supervisory and project management roles, and the Metro Labour Education and Skills Training Centre receiving $496,153 to support 50 women in career advancement. This round incorporates enhanced risk management, transparency regarding registered lobbyists, and longer-term outcome tracking at three, six, and 12 months based on recommendations from the Auditor General's 2025 program review.

Opening more child care spaces in schools

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-31 20:15:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Education, Social Services, Infrastructure, Affordability]

The Government of British Columbia is providing a $5 million child care capital funding program through the Ministry of Infrastructure to 22 school districts to repurpose existing school spaces into approximately 1,200 new licensed before- and after-school child care spaces. Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Child Care is investing $20 million over three years for operating costs, $2 million for startup costs, and an upcoming $2.9-million fund in fall 2026 to create board-operated school-age care programs. Families utilizing these programs will benefit from fee reductions through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and the Affordable Child Care Benefit.