Saturday, June 7, 2025
ADVT 
National

B.C. audit finds no co-ordination on the implementation of child-care promises

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Feb, 2025 04:05 PM
  • B.C. audit finds no co-ordination on the implementation of child-care promises

British Columbia's acting auditor general says seven years after promising to add capacity in regional health authorities to license, monitor, and investigate child-care facilities, the province doesn't know if it has done those things.

Sheila Dodds' report says the Ministry of Education and Child Care has not worked effectively with the Ministry of Health and regional health authorities to implement promises under the 2018 ChildCareBC plan.

The report, which covers from April 2022 to July 2024, says the ministry did not co-ordinate to document expectations for implementing the commitment, monitoring the implementation, or reporting progress. 

As part of the report, auditors looked at Vancouver Coastal Health and found the authority did not properly assess its capacity to license new spaces, investigate complaints and monitor compliance for child care facilities.

The report makes five recommendations for the ministry around better documentation, planning and monitoring, and five other recommendations for the health authority on collecting data.

Both the health authority and the ministry say they agree with the recommendations, with the province saying it has established a cross-ministry committee to discuss "shared responsibilities" relating to child care, and the health authority promising to establish key performance indicators.

The report says the B.C. and federal governments have funded 39,000 new child care spaces since 2018 and 31,000 more are expected by 2028.

MORE National ARTICLES

Younger Canadians drive trust in AI-generated information, poll indicates

Younger Canadians drive trust in AI-generated information, poll indicates
Among generation Z Canadians — those born between 1997 and 2012 — 41 per cent say they see AI systems as reliable information sources. That’s not far off from the 49 per cent of gen Z respondents who said they trust stories on news media websites, according to the annual CanTrust Index published by Proof Strategies.

Younger Canadians drive trust in AI-generated information, poll indicates

Liberal leadership debate kicks off with questions about threat posed by Trump

Liberal leadership debate kicks off with questions about threat posed by Trump
He wasn't on the stage but U.S. President Donald Trump's shadow towered over the Liberal leadership race during Monday night's French-language debate. The candidates — former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former government House leader Karina Gould and former MP Frank Baylis — spent much of the debate talking about the threat Trump poses to Canada's economy and sovereignty.

Liberal leadership debate kicks off with questions about threat posed by Trump

Liberal leadership candidates to face off in final debate in Montreal

Liberal leadership candidates to face off in final debate in Montreal
Liberal leadership contenders will take the stage again Tuesday night for the English-language debate in Montreal — their last shot to confront each other in person and shake up the race. The four candidates left in the race played it safe in Monday night’s French-language debate.

Liberal leadership candidates to face off in final debate in Montreal

Provinces have roughly $100B at hand for tariff relief, Desjardins estimates

Provinces have roughly $100B at hand for tariff relief, Desjardins estimates
Canada's provincial governments have enough fiscal firepower to respond to looming U.S. tariffs without supersizing their debt burdens, a new report says.  The analysis released Tuesday from Desjardins Economics predicted upcoming provincial budgets will be dominated by plans to prepare for an unknown 2025 as promised tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump put a cloud over fiscal forecasts.

Provinces have roughly $100B at hand for tariff relief, Desjardins estimates

Ailing Pope Frances appoints new Archbishop of Vancouver

Ailing Pope Frances appoints new Archbishop of Vancouver
Pope Francis, who is hospitalized in critical condition with double pneumonia, has named a new archbishop for Vancouver. The Vancouver archdiocese says the Pope appointed Archbishop Richard Smith and accepted the resignation of J. Michael Miller. 

Ailing Pope Frances appoints new Archbishop of Vancouver

Another earthquake for B.C., less than four days after cities rattled

Another earthquake for B.C., less than four days after cities rattled
An earthquake has struck off the British Columbia coast, less than four days after major population centres were shaken by a similar-sized tremor. But Earthquakes Canada says the latest quake wasn't felt by anyone and it occurred in the Pacific, 182 kilometres west of Port Alice in northwest Vancouver Island.

Another earthquake for B.C., less than four days after cities rattled