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From YouTube: Main Estimates - Ministry of Children's Services
Description
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
A
A
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A
A
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A
A
A
B
I'd
like
to
call
them
easy
to
order,
welcome
everyone
in
attendance.
The
committee
has
underneath
the
ministry
of
children's
services
for
the
fiscal
year
ending
March
31
2024.
before
we
proceed
to
the
business
on
our
agenda
today,
I'd
like
with
the
consent
of
my
colleagues
to
acknowledge
the
tragic
loss
of
two
Edmonton
police
officers
who
were
killed
in
the
line
of
duty
last
night.
B
B
All
right,
let's
proceed,
I'd:
ask
that
we
go
around
the
table
and
have
members
introduce
themselves
to
the
record
Minister.
Please
introduce
the
officials
who
are
joining
you
at
the
table.
My
name
is
Jackie,
lovely
and
I'm.
The
MLA
for
the
camera's
constituency
and
the
chair
of
this
committee
will
begin
starting
to
marry.
G
I
Good
morning,
Mickey
Emery,
minister
of
children's
services
and
the
officials
that
I
have
joining
me
here
this
morning
are
children,
services,
Deputy,
Minister,
Sherry,
Wilson
to
my
right
assistant,
Deputy
Minister
for
child
intervention,
delivery,
Leanne
Wagner
to
my
left,
the
assistant
Deputy
Minister
for
child
care
and
youth
services.
Joanie
brasiak
to
my
further
left
and
Senior
Financial
Officer
Darren
Baptista.
To
my
further
right
and
behind
me
is
assistant
Deputy
Minister
for
indigenous
Partnerships
and
strategic
Services,
Cynthia
Dunagan.
B
I'd
like
to
note
the
following
substitution
for
the
record
Mr
turton
for
honorable
Mrs,
Armstrong
hominek,
a
few
of
us
keeping
items
to
address
before
we
turn
to
the
business
at
hand.
Please
note:
the
microphones
are
operated
by
Hansard
staff
committee
proceedings
are
live
streamed
on
the
internet
and
broadcast
on
the
Alberta
assembly.
Tv,
the
audio
and
visual
stream
and
transcripts
of
meetings
can
be
accessed
via
a
legislative
assembly
website.
Members
participating
remotely
are
encouraged
to
turn
your
cameras.
B
Sorry,
you
turn
your
cameras
on
while
speaking
and
mute
your
microphone
when
not
speaking,
remote
participants
who
wish
to
be
placed
on
speakers
list
if
there
are
any
in
the
future
right
now,
we
don't
have
any
are
asked
to
email
or
message
to
the
committee
Clerk
and
members
in
this
room
should
signal
to
the
chair.
Please
set
your
cell
phones
and
other
devices
to
silence
for
the
duration
of
the
meeting
with
regard
to
speaking
rotation
and
time
limits.
Honorable
members,
the
standing
order
set
out
the
process
for
consideration
of
the
main
estimates.
B
A
total
of
three
hours
has
been
scheduled
for
consideration
of
estimates
for
the
ministry
of
children's
services.
Standing
order,
59.016
establishes
the
speaking
rotation
and
speaking
times
in
brief,
the
minister
or
members
of
executive
Council,
acting
on
The
Minister's
behalf,
will
have
10
minutes
to
address
the
committee
at
the
conclusion
of
The
Minister's
comments.
A
60-minute
speaking
block
for
the
official
opposition
begins,
followed
by
20-minute
speaking
block
for
independent
members.
B
If
any
and
then
20-minute
speaking,
block
for
government
caucus,
individuals
may
only
speak
for
up
to
10
minutes
at
a
time,
but
speaking
times
may
be
combined
between
the
member
and
Minister
after
the
speaking
times.
We'll
follow
the
same
rotation
on
the
official
opposition,
independent
members
and
government
caucus
the
member
and
the
minister
May
each
speak
once
for
a
maximum
of
five
minutes,
or
these
times
may
be
combined
making
it
a
10-minute
block.
B
If
members
have
any
questions
regarding
speaking
times
or
the
rotation,
please
send
an
email
or
message
to
the
committee
clerk
about
the
process.
With
the
concurrence
of
the
committee,
I
will
call
a
five-minute
break
near
the
midpoint
of
the
meeting.
However,
the
three-hour
clock
will
continue
to
run.
Does
anyone
would
object
to
having
a
break?
B
No
okay,
Ministry
officials
may
be
present
and
at
the
direction
if
the
minister
May
address
the
committee,
Ministry
officials
seated
in
the
gallery,
if
called
upon,
have
access
to
a
microphone
in
the
gallery
area
and
are
asked
to
please
introduce
themselves
for
the
record
prior
to
commenting
pages
are
available
to
deliver
notes
or
other
materials
between
the
gallery
and
the
table.
Attendees
in
the
gallery
may
not
approach
the
table.
Space
permitting
opposition
caucus
staff
may
sit
at
the
table
to
assist
their
members.
However,
members
have
priority
to
sit
at
the
table
at
all
times.
B
If
debate
is
exhausted
prior
to
the
three
hours
the
ministry's
estimates
are
deemed
to
be
have
considered
for
the
time
allotted
in
the
schedule,
and
the
committee
will
adjourn,
points
of
Border
will
be
dealt
with
as
they
arise
and
individual
speaking
times
will
be
paused.
However,
the
speaking
block
time
and
overall
three-hour
meeting
clock
will
continue
to
run
any
written
material
provided
in
response
to
questions
raised
during
the
main
estimates
should
be
tabled
by
the
minister
in
the
assembly
for
the
benefit
of
all
members.
B
The
vote
on
the
estimates
and
any
amendments
will
occur
this
afternoon
in
Committee
of
Supply.
Amendments
must
be
in
writing
and
approved
by
parliamentary
Council
prior
to
the
meeting
at
which
they
are
to
be
moved.
The
original
amendment
is
to
be
deposited
with
the
committee
clerk
with
20
hard
copies.
An
electronic
version
of
the
signed
original
should
be
provided
to
the
committee
clerk
for
distribution
to
the
committee
members.
B
Finally,
the
committee
should
have
the
opportunity
to
hear
both
questions
and
answers
without
interruption
during
estimates
debate,
debate
flows
through
the
chair
please
at
all
times,
including
instances
when
speaking
time
is
shared
between
a
member
and
the
minister
I,
would
now
invite
the
minister
of
children's
services
to
begin
with
your
opening
remarks.
So
you
have
10
minutes
morning.
I
And
thank
you,
madam
chair
I'd,
like
to
begin
my
remarks
by
recognizing
and
expressing
my
deepest
condolences
on
the
tragedy
that
we
heard
about
this
morning
on
behalf
of
the
government
of
Alberta,
on
behalf
of
my
caucus
colleagues,
and
indeed,
all
members
of
the
legislative
assembly
of
Alberta
Madam
chairs.
My
great
pleasure
this
morning
to
present
the
2023
budget
estimates
in
2023
2026
business
plan
for
children's
services.
I
Budget
2023
underscores
our
government's
commitment
to
securing
Alberta's
future
by
maintaining
a
strong
fiscal
track
record
with
yet
another
balanced
budget,
while
also
making
historic
investments
in
our
province's
greatest
asset.
Our
people,
the
last
few
years,
have
been
incredibly
difficult
for
Alberta
families
and
that's
why
this
government
is
stepping
up
to
provide
the
stability
and
supports
that
they
need.
This
includes
affordability,
payments
for
parents
with
children
under
18,
totaling,
600
per
child;
increased
investments
in
in
child
intervention
to
ensure
that
children
and
youth
are
safe,
supported
and
set
up
for
success.
I
Additional
funding
to
make
it
more
affordable
for
albertans
to
consider
adoption
record
investments
in
our
child
care
system,
making
child
care
more
accessible
and
affordable
for
Alberta
families
and
much
more
from
day
one.
Our
government
has
committed
to
making
life
better
for
albertans.
We
immediately
got
to
work
on
restoring
the
Alberta
advantage
and
thanks
to
our
entrepreneurial
spirit
and
resilience
of
albertans,
our
economy
is
back
on
track
and
indeed
stronger
than
ever
having
access
to
Affordable
and
inclusive
and
high
quality
daycare
played
a
critical
role
in
this
success.
I
That's
why,
in
budget
2023
We
are
continuing
to
support
Alberta
families
by
investing
1.3
billion
in
child
care,
200
million
more
than
last
year,
this
investment
will
ensure
Child
Care
continues
to
become
more
affordable
and
accessible
throughout
the
year.
Part
of
that
commitment
to
albertans
was
also
to
ensure,
regardless
of
where
these
spaces
were
created,
that
we
respected
the
rights
of
parents
to
choose
what
child
care
options
work
best
for
their
family.
I
This
wouldn't
be
possible
without
our
government's
efforts
to
ensure
that
private
operators
were
included
in
the
Canada
Alberta
canada-wide,
Early,
Learning
and
child
care
agreement.
At
a
time
when
many
albertan
families
are
struggling
with
the
cost
of
living,
they
can
count
on
their
child
care
fees
going
down.
This
investment
will
also
strengthen
our
efforts
to
recruit
and
retain
Early
Childhood
Educators
that
continue
to
be
the
backbone
of
our
system.
I
As
we
look
to
create
tens
of
thousands
of
new
affordable
child
care
spaces,
we
will
need
thousands
more
Child,
Care
Professionals
working
in
the
sector
budget
2023
allocates
nearly
233
30
million
to
support
the
child
care
Workforce
through
certification,
professional
development
opportunities
and
wage
top-ups.
This
budget
also
makes
significant
Investments
to
support
some
of
the
most
vulnerable
in
our
province
with
more
than
63
million
dollars
in
budget
2023.
Our
government
is
continuing
to
support
the
tremendous
work
that
Family
Resource
networks
do
to
support.
I
Children's
Services
continues
to
focus
on
keeping
children
safe
with
their
families
and
communities
wherever
possible,
while
providing
the
supports
they
need,
because
all
Alberta
children
have
the
right
to
feel
safe
and
cared
for.
We
are
increasing
the
amount
of
funding
available
to
address
the
rising
number
of
complex
cases
receiving
child
intervention
services.
I
30
million
dollars
in
new
funding
will
help
to
ensure
that
all
children
and
youth
receiving
child
intervention
services
receive
the
supports
that
they
need
budget
2023,
also
recommits
our
government
to
reconciliation
and
meaningful
change.
Reducing
the
number
of
indigenous
children
in
care
continues
to
be
one
of
our
top
priorities.
I
We
are
focusing
on
providing
culturally
appropriate
prevention
and
early
intervention
services
to
support
families
and
provide
targeted
help
early,
reducing
the
need
for
greater
interventions
further
down
the
road
as
part
of
our
as
part
of
our
commitment
to
keep
children
connected
to
their
families
and
their
culture.
Alberta's
government
has
also
committed
to
working
with
First
Nations
and
the
federal
government
with
when
requests
to
enter
into
coordination.
I
Agreements
are
received
from
First
Nations
in
Alberta,
under
the
federal
act
in
January
of
2020,
the
federal
government's
act
respecting
First
Nations,
Inuit
and
metis
children,
youth
and
families
came
into
Force,
providing
the
opportunity
for
indigenous
communities
to
exercise
authority
over
Youth
and
Family
Services.
So
far,
the
Louisville
tribe
has
assumed
authority
over
their
child
Youth
and
Family
Services
and
other
negotiations
with
First
Nations
are
ongoing
through
2023-24.
We
will
continue
to
support
this
first
nations-led
process.
I
I
We
have
fully
implemented
the
transition
to
adulthood
program
because
we
know
that
transitioning
to
adulthood
can
be
challenging
for
Youth
and
Care
in
young
adults
formally
in
care.
This
program
provides
additional
supports
to
prepare
young
adults
as
they
live
independently,
pursue
education
and
build
careers.
The
new
tap
program
continues
to
improve
outcomes
for
young
adults
by
helping
to
find
mentors,
develop
employment
and
life
skills
attain
post-secondary
education
and
maintain
emotionally
supportive
connections.
I
Budget
2023
also
invests
an
additional
4
million
to
make
adoption
more
affordable.
With
this
increase
in
funding,
albertans
Alberta
will
become
the
first
and
only
province
in
Canada
to
cover
dental
drug
vision
and
other
supplemental
health
benefits
for
children
adopted
in
Alberta
to
further
reduce
adoption
barriers.
We
are
increasing
the
adoption,
expense
credit
by
nearly
four
thousand
dollars
and
subsidizing
the
cost
of
private
adoptions
through
licensed
agencies
in
Alberta
by
six
thousand
dollars
per
adoption
to
help
cover
the
cost.
I
These
two
new
measures
will
help
reduce
barriers
to
adoption
and
make
it
more
accessible
for
all
albertans
interested
and
looking
to
grow
their
families.
Our
government
has
also
committed
to
supporting
Alberta
families
with
the
High
Cost
of
Living
and
Children's.
Services
is
playing
a
large
role
in
these
supports.
I
In
addition
to
increasing
or
reducing
the
cost
of
child
care
for
parents,
we
have
allocated
271
million
dollars
in
budget
2023
to
provide
affordability
payments
of
600
per
child
over
six
months
to
help
Alberta
families
that
have
been
disproportionately
impacted
by
inflation
to
further
support
albertans
most
in
need.
We've
added
funding
to
support
the
indexation
of
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit,
which
is
providing
345
million
dollars
in
addition,
and
much
needed
support
to
lower
and
middle
income
families
with
children
under
the
age
of
18..
I
These
measures,
in
addition
to
numerous
other
supports
in
budget
2023,
will
help
ensure
that
children
aren't
the
ones
that
are
paying
the
price
for
inflation.
Nearly
four
years
ago,
our
government
was
elected
to
get
Alberta
back
on
track.
Since
then,
thousands
of
jobs
and
billions
of
dollars
of
investment
are
coming
right
back
into
this
province.
We
balance
the
budget
and
we
are
paying
down
the
debt,
so
future
Generations
do
not
have
to
bear
the
cost
of
out
of
control
spending
we're
investing
in
health
care,
education,
Child,
Care,
critical
infrastructure
and
so
much
more.
I
The
Alberta
Advantage
is
back
and
while
there
is
still
a
lot
more
work
to
do,
this
budget
delivers
for
albertans
investing
in
affordable
child
care,
prioritizing
the
safety
of
our
children
and
youth,
providing
relief
through
the
inflation
crisis
for
Alberta
families
and
recommitting
ourselves
to
meaningful
change
and
Reconciliation
is
just
a
few
of
the
many
ways
that
we
are
securing
Alberta's
future.
Thank
you
very
much.
Madam
chair.
B
Thank
you
so
much
Minister
for
the
hour
that
follows
members
of
the
official
opposition
and
Minister
may
speak
honorable
members.
You
will
be
able
to
see
the
timer
for
the
speaking
block,
both
in
the
committee
room
and
on
Microsoft
teams.
Members.
Would
you
like
to
combine
your
time
with
ministers
and
Minister?
What's
your
preference,
your.
J
Debates.
I
do
want
to
note
that,
by
by
doing
block
time,
as
the
minister
has
opted,
it
does
mean
that
the
minister
gets
to
pick
and
choose
which
questions
he
answers.
And
so
we
I
do
hope
that
the
minister
will
take
clear
notes
of
all
the
questions
being
asked
so
that
he
does
Endeavor
to
answer
all
of
them.
So
I'd
like
to
begin
with
child
intervention.
J
Of
course,
as
the
minister
knows
in
the
business
plan
for
2023
outcome,
two
indicates
that
the
safety,
resiliency
and
cultural
connections
of
children,
youth
and
families
are
supported
and
Children
and
Youth
are
protected
in
line
2.2
of
the
budget,
which
is
for
child
intervention
delivery.
It
notes
that
the
that
that
specific
line
item
is
increasing
by
approximately
26
million
dollars
for
2023..
J
Can
the
minister
indicate
how
much
of
that
increase
is
attributable
to
caseload
increase?
Are
they
is
the
ministry
expecting
to
serve
more
children
and
more
families?
In
2023,
the
ministry
has
moved
a
number
of
significant
parts
of
child
intervention
work
from
Child
intervention
agencies
to
within
the
ministry,
particularly
kinship
support
and
working
with
young
people.
Transitioning
out
of
Care
Ministry
staff
make
more
than
make
more
than
comparable
agency
staff
in
terms
of
their
salaries.
J
We
know
that
a
report
prepared
for
agencies
indicate
that
a
human
services
worker
for
a
caseworker
working
for
the
Goa
earns
31
percent
more
than
the
same
qualified
worker
working
for
an
agency.
So
what
amount
to
the
budget
increase
in
line
2.2
accounts
for
the
additional
costs
associated
with
bringing
this
work
into
the
ministry?
J
Can
the
minister
tell
this
committee
what
the
current
vacancy
rate
in
children's
services
is
as
of
most
current
data
that
you
that
the
minister
has
also
has
a
Ministry
lowered
the
classification,
qualification
and
education
requirements
of
caseworkers
in
order
to
recruit
more
staff,
in
particular
how
many
Frontline
caseworker
staff
are
currently
registered
social
workers?
How
many
are
child
and
youth
care
workers?
How
many
are
Human
Service
workers
for
and
how
many
are
Human
Service
workers?
Three?
J
What
is
the
average
caseload
right
now
for
Frontline
workers
and
how
does
that?
Compare
to
2022
and
2021
going
back
to
outcome
two
and
the
focus
on
the
safety,
resiliency
and
cultural
connections
of
Children
and
Youth,
the
number
of
Children
and
Youth
receiving
child
intervention
services
who
have
died
in
the
2022
fiscal
years?
45.?
J
Essentially,
the
ministry
has
made
no
progress
towards
making
Children
and
Youth
receiving
child
intervention
services
safer
in
Alberta
zero
progress
in
two
years,
and
in
fact
the
record
of
this
government
will
be
that
the
two
deadliest
years
for
Children
and
Youth
and
Care
will
be
on
their
watch
to
this
day.
To
date.
This
year,
18
of
those
deaths
occurred
among
children
under
the
age
of
18,
who
are
actually
in
care,
meaning
the
government
is
their
legal
guardian.
J
That
is
a
sharp
increase
from
the
year
before
it
has
more
than
doubled
from
seven
last
year,
the
worst
year
on
record
for
the
stat
was
actually
10..
So
how
does
the
minister
account
for
that
and
what
new
strategies
are
implemented
within
this
business
plan,
because
there's
none
that
are
evident
from
the
business
plan
to
address
this
ongoing
crisis?
That
is
responsibility
of
the
government.
J
This
comes
after
a
year
of
the
ministry
implementing
actions
from
the
former
Minister's
review
of
death
of
children
in
care.
So
here
we
are
two
years
of
unconscious,
unconscionably
High
numbers,
and
yet
there
are
no
new
strategies
or
objectives
identifying
the
business
plan.
So
how
can
albertans
be
assured
that
this
government
and
this
Minister's
priorities
are
addressing
the
safety
of
Children
and
Youth
and
care
when
there
are
no
clearly
identified
strategies
or
goals
for
improving
safety?
J
J
J
J
We
received
confirmation
from
Ministry
staff
at
Public
Accounts
and
if
an
intake
isn't
started,
no
resources
are
provided
directly
to
that
family
or
child,
and
none
is
no.
Follow-Up
is
done
with
that
family
to
see.
If
there
are
any
other
supports
the
family
may
need
so.
First
of
all,
what
does
the
minister
attribute
this
dramatic
but
consistent,
because
this
has
been
going
on
for
a
number
of
years
of
decline
in
intakes
too?
What
is
the
reason
for
that?
J
The
goal,
of
course,
is
to
provide
supports
and
resources
to
families
through
early
intervention,
so
that
children
do
not
need
to
come
into
care
and
families
can
stay
together.
However,
multiple
organizations
that
work
with
families
and
children
have
brought
several
situations
to
my
attention
where
several
reports
are
made
to
the
ministry,
but
an
intake
hasn't
been
opened
by
children's
services
and
then
no
early
intervention
supports
are
provided,
so
these
families
are
simply
just
lost,
we
don't
know
what
happens
to
them.
J
They
don't
get
any
services,
and
we
don't
know
until
perhaps
another
report
is
made
line.
4.1
of
the
budget
is
for
early
intervention,
yet
this
line
is
flat,
so
it
doesn't.
Look
like
the
minister
is
focused
on
increased
early
intervention.
Nor
is
he
anticipating
that
more
Alberta
families
will
receive
early
intervention
services,
so
more
families
are
under
Financial
strain.
Opioid
use
continues
to
be
a
significant
concern.
J
Mental
health
issues
continue
to
be
a
significant
concern,
as
are
finding
safe
and
affordable
housing
as
a
growing
issue,
so
it
strains
credulity
really
to
suggest
that
there
are
simply
one-third
fewer
families
or
children
who
may
require
intervention
of
the
ministry.
So
can
the
minister
advise
whether
or
not
the
screening
requirements
have
changed
for
an
intake
to
be
started
by
the
ministry
along
that
lines?
How
many
family
enhancement
agreements
did
the
ministry
enter
into
in
2022?
How
does
that
compare
to
the
number
entered
into
in
2019,
2020
and
2021?
J
How
many
does
the
minister
anticipate
will
be
entered
into
in
2023
and
are
the
costs
associated
with
that
indicated
in
line
4.1
of
the
budget
or
which
line
of
the
budget?
Would
family
enhancement
agreements
fall
under
performance
measure?
2B
sets
out
a
performance
measure
for
the
percentage
of
indigenous
children
placed
in
family-based
care,
but
as
a
Ministry
Minister
should
be
aware.
If
the
goal
is
to
maintain
cultural
connections.
As
the
outcome
two
suggests,
the
goal
should
be
actually
family
reunification
and
even
family
preservation.
J
So
it's
of
course
it's
not
really
the
number
of
indigenous
children
in
family-based
care.
That
is
the
sole
priority.
It's
the
number
of
indigenous
children
in
kinship
care
that
matters.
So,
first
of
all
how
many
indigenous
children
a
number
not
a
percentage,
are
in
family-based
care.
To
begin
with
how
many
indigenous
children
are
in
a
foster
home,
how
many
indigenous
children
are
in
a
kinship
home
and
how
many
are
in
a
group
home.
J
J
We
know
that
foster
parents
were
eligible
for
these
affordability
payments
and
are
they
included
in
which
line
item
are
they
included
in
the
2.4
line
or
six
of
the
budget,
the
the
supports
for
foster
families
under
the
affordability
payments
and
were
kinship
homes
eligible
for
the
payments
and,
if
so,
which
line
of
the
budget
is
that
indicated
in
and
how
much
we
know
that
the
ministry
is
currently
doing
a
recruitment
drive
for
foster
homes.
So
how
many
does
the
ministry
believe
are
currently
needed
to
match?
J
I
Thank
you
very
much
Madam
chair
and
thank
you
to
The
Honorable
member
for
the
questions
that
were
provided.
I'll
begin
by
in
the
order
that
The
Honorable
member
asked
and
I'll
try
to
address
as
many
of
those
questions
as
possible
in
the
time
allocated
the
the
member
referenced
section
2.2
into
child
intervention
budget
and
reference,
the
increase
in
26
million
dollar
increase
and
I
didn't
want
to
elaborate
on
that.
I
The
23.4
million
of
the
budget
in
that
particular
line
item,
has
been
allocated
to
support
caseload
complexities,
caseload
complexities
being
the
number
one
thing
that
we're
seeing
increasing
in
this
ministry
rather
than
case
loans
themselves.
The
additional
money
has
been
allocated
towards
the
adoptions
initiative,
and
that
is
the
four
million
dollar
allocation
that
I
spoke
to
in
my
opening
remarks.
I
In
addition
to
that,
there
is
a
number
of
different
increases
when
this
particular
line
item,
but
that
I
think
comprises
the
the
number
that
the
member
was
asking
about
in
terms
of
why
there
is
an
increase.
What
we're
seeing
in
the
ministry,
and
indeed
in
the
department
itself,
is
that
caseload
complexity
continues
to
be
the
number.
I
One
reason
why
costs
are
increasing
in
that
particular
area:
we're
finding
that
case
complexities
are
increasing
and
while
the
caseload
numbers
may
or
may
not
be
increasing
in
the
same
amount,
we
know
that
complexities
are
becoming
more
and
more
prevalent.
Currently
right
now
the
member
asked
some
questions
about
employment
strategies,
employment
and
recruitment
retention
strategies
and
I.
Think
it's
it's
important
to
note
that
the
the
the
vacancy
rate
that
we
currently
have
within
the
child
intervention
is
approximately
nine
percent
and
it
represents
approach
over
265
full-time
equivalent
vacant
positions.
I
Of
those
vacancies
that
the
member
was
asking
about
our
child
intervention
and
child
care
programs,
however,
we
continue
to
work
towards
filling
our
current
line
position
positions
through
a
recruitment
process
and
or
internal
movements,
as
we
recognize
that
these
positions
have
a
large
impact
on
the
outcomes
for
children,
youth
and
families.
I
know
that
assistant
Deputy,
Minister,
Leanne
Wagner
has
been
undertaking
significant
efforts
to
streamline
our
recruitment
processes
so
that
we
can
fill
positions
anymore,
timely
and
efficient
manner,
as
well
as
to
attract
the
best
talent
that
we
possibly
can.
I
We
are,
in
fact,
hiring
an
average
of
96
staff
per
month
in
the
department
and
I
think
that
demonstrates
our
commitment
to
addressing
these
vacancies
and
attracting
the
best
talent
that
we
possibly
can.
The
member
spoke
about
salaries
and
wages,
and
certainly
that
is
something
that
you
know.
We
recognize
to
be
incredibly
important
when
it
comes
to
attracting
the
best
talent
within
Children's
Services.
I
We
are
working
diligently
to
make
sure
that
staff
are
well
compensated
and
adequately
compensated
in
order
to
make
sure
that
we
have
a
sufficient
Workforce
that
not
only
is
attracted
to
these
positions,
but
also
is
retained
for
the
long
term,
because
we
know
the
value
in
having
long-term
a
long-term
Workforce
is
is
incredible,
especially
in
the
area
of
child
intervention.
Where,
where
experience
I
think
is
incredibly
important.
I
We
also
have
a
programs
to
allow
for
growth
within
the
department
as
well
to
allow
for
Staffing
to
grow
through
the
department
and
I
think
that
it
allows
for
personal
development
of
those
staff
members
in
order
to
achieve
a
greater
responsibilities
and
greater
roles
and
I.
Think
that
is
a
key,
a
fundamental
key
to
making
sure
that
staff
in
this
in
this
apartment
and
child
intervention
remains
for
the
long
term.
I
It
is
one
of
the
most
difficult
things
as
minister
to
deal
with
and
and
to
hear
about
and
and
to
read
and
review
the
reports
that
happen
with
when
we
have
young
children
in
care
dying,
and
it
is
certainly
a
a
tragedy
for
for
the
families.
I
express
my
sincerest
condolences
as
the
member
knows.
Whenever
there
is
a
death
of
a
child
in
care,
a
number
of
mandatory
reviews
are
automatically
triggered
whenever
there's
a
case
involving
a
death
of
a
child
that
has
received
intervention
services
or
is
currently
receiving
intervention
services.
I
My
department
continues
to
work
closely
with
our
community
and
government
partners
to
make
sure
that
children
and
youth
have
the
supports
that
they
need,
and
we
are
absolutely
committed
to
continuing
with
that
work
to
help
address
some
of
those
issues.
One
of
the
specific
questions
that
the
member
spoke
about
was
what
the
deaths
can
be
attributed
to,
and
certainly
there
are
a
number
of
different
reasons
for
that.
I
Some
are
accidental,
others
can
be
in
the
form
of
suicide
and
some
are
through
a
mental
health
and
addictions
issues,
and
what
we're
doing
as
as
all
of
the
colleagues
in
this
committee
know,
is
that
we've
employed
I
think
a
comprehensive
mental
health
and
addiction
strategy
through
the
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addictions
to
help
address
some
of
these
things.
I'm.
I
We
continue
or
we
recognize
as
a
government
that
Alberta
and
across
Canada
drug
addiction
is
a
real
problem
and
we've
introduced
a
system
for
early
detection
or
early
identification
of
Youth
who
may
need
extra
support
and
attention.
We've
expanded
access
to
addictions,
programming
for
vulnerable
Children
and
Youth.
The
ministry.
L
I
I
When
we
talk
about
the
the
issue
of
intakes
and
assessment,
I
think
it
would
be
helpful
to
to
speak
a
little
bit
about
how
and
why
Children's
Services
changes
change
the
intake
and
assessment
prop
process
that
resulted
in
a
reduced
caseload.
A
children's
services
has
implemented
changes
to
intake
to
ensure
that
we
are
serving
those
that
we
are
mandated
to
assist,
and
this
includes
the
implementation
of
a
common
intake
processing
tool
and
that
facilitates
greater
consistency
in
decision
making.
That
has
resulted
in
fewer
files
being
opened.
I
The
practitioner
who
receives
the
information
gathers
as
much
as
possible
about
the
child's
circumstances,
and
this
includes
contacting
the
referral
source,
which
is
often
a
teacher,
a
Community
member,
another
child
care
worker
or
others
to
make
an
early
determination
of
risk
for
the
child.
This
information
is
used
to
evaluate
whether
a
file
should
close
or
open
for
assessment
practitioner.
Practitioners
are
now
intentionally
asking
more
questions,
Gathering
additional
information
as
much
as
possible
from
the
onset
to
make
sure
that
they
find
out
what
the
worries
are
and
what
is
going
well
in
the
family.
I
J
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I
will
note.
There
are
a
number
of
questions
that
I
ask
that
were
not
answered.
Specifically.
What
assessment
was
done
for
to
bring
a
lot
of
that
kinship
work
and
transitions
out
of
care
work
into
the
ministry
from
agencies,
whether
the
ministry
lowered
the
classification
and
qualification
of
the
individuals
are
hiring
I
asked
for
numbers
around
Frontline
case,
like
worker
staff
and
average
case
loads
and
their
classifications,
so
I
would
like
that
I
would
appreciate
if
the
minister
could
provide
answers
to
those
questions
in
writing.
J
Unless
the
minister
does
not
intend
to
answer
those
questions,
I
also
asked
about
family
enhancement
agreements
and
how
many
there
are
and
I
just
want
to
clarify
a
couple
things.
So
it
sounds
like
the
minister
is
not
anticipating
a
caseload
increase
based
on
that
answer
that
the
most
of
the
increase
that
we're
seeing
in
line
2.2
is
actually
related
to
caselo
complexities.
J
The
minister
stated
that
you
know,
with
some
level
of
confidence,
that
the
increase
in
the
number
of
deaths
was
related
to
mental
health
and
addictions
issues.
However,
we
know
of
the
38
that
are
documented
so
far
deaths
that
have
happened
this
fiscal
year,
22
of
the
causes
of
death
are
pending.
So
one
of
the
challenges
is
that
we
don't
actually
know
what
the
causes
are.
So
I
I'm
curious
still
to
know
what
the
minister
feels
about.
Why
so
many
of
the
children
who
have
died
this
year
are
actually
in
care.
J
Those
are
children
who
are
in
a
in
a
foster
home,
a
kinship
home,
a
group
home
they're,
the
responsibility
of
the
government,
that
is
an
incredible
increase
and
had
The
Minister's
comments,
did
not
respond
to
that.
So
I
would
ask
him
to
either
table
those
responses
in
writing,
but
those
are
pretty
critical
information
on
the
intake
drop.
It
sounds
like
the
minister
is
saying
that
they
have
been
more
consistent
in
how
they're
applying
the
the
screening
mechanisms
and
the
questions
which
suggest
I,
guess
I'm
questioning
for
the
minister.
J
Does
that
mean
the
ministry
believes
too
many
cases
were
open
before
that
shouldn't
have
been
opened
that
intakes
were
started
when
they
shouldn't
have
been
because
33
is
still
a
significant
drop
and
I'm
again.
The
concern
is
that
when
a
report
is
made
and
no
intake
is
open,
there's
no
supports
being
provided
to
those
to
those
families
or
to
those
children
and
multiple
reports
are
required
before
an
intake
has
started.
J
That
puts
those
children
and
those
families
at
risk,
and
it
also
suggests
that
the
focus
on
family
preservation
is
lost
because
we're
actually
talking
about
getting
to
the
point
where
apprehension
may
be
the
only
option.
So
I'll
ask
the
minister
to
respond
to
that.
Also,
there's
no
answers.
In
response
to
my
questions
around
the
number
of
fostering
kinship
homes
and
Indigenous
children.
J
Placement
in
those
homes
I'll
ask
the
minister
to
go
back
and
answer
that
as
well
as
questions
around
the
m,
the
the
recruitment
drive
for
foster
homes,
so
line
5.1
of
the
budget
is
for
policy
and
Partnerships
and
includes
funding
for
quote
leading
partnership
and
agreement
discussions
with
indigenous
stakeholders.
Key
objective
2.2
in
the
business
plan
is
to
work
with
first
nations
in
Canada
to
implement
Bill
c92
Ministry
staff
have
very
openly
and
repeatedly
told
stakeholders
in
child
intervention
that
they
anticipate
quote.
J
70
of
the
current
children
in
care
will
be
transitioned
over
to
the
responsibility
of
Nations
and
Indigenous
governance
bodies
in
the
next
few
years.
The
budget
is
flat
at
7.637
million
dollars
for
policy
and
Partnerships
under
line
5.1
with
Bill
c92.
Why
isn't
the
ministry
planning
for
more
support
and
resources
to
negotiate
agreements
with
indigenous
governance
bodies?
J
How
many
igbs
I'm
going
to
call
them
igbs
for
short,
as
the
ministry
currently
at
the
table
with
under
Bill
c92?
What
financial
and
resource
support
is
the
Goa
providing
to
those
Nations
exercising
their
Authority
Under
c92?
Can
the
minister
provide
examples
of
what
funding
and
resources
are
being
provided
and
could
be
provided
in
the
future?
What
supports
were
specifically
provided
to
Louisville
first
nation
in
2022,
as
they
took
over
responsibility
for
their
children,
and
where
does
that
appear
in
the
budget?
J
If
we
look
at
the
business
plan
and
I
noted
this
in
discussion
on
in
Public
Accounts
with
Children's
Services,
the
business
plan
doesn't
include
doesn't
seem
to
look
at
Family,
preservations
or
family
reunifications
as
a
performance
measure
of
success.
In
fact,
there
are
very
there's
no
performance
measures
really
to
address
what
10
000
children
are
living
with
every
day
in
the
child
intervention
system,
and
so
I
want
to
talk
about
permanency
outcomes,
because
the
most
recent
statistics
with
respect
to
permanency
outcomes
from
the
ministry
are
quite
terrible.
J
To
be
quite
honest,
there
has
been
a
huge
drop
in
permanency
outcomes
under
the
last
four
years
of
this
government,
for
example
family
preservations.
That's
where
families
do
not.
An
apprehension
is
not
made
where
the
family
stays
together,
because
you
receive
supports
and
resources
to
be
successfully
stayed
together.
Family
preservations
have
dropped
56
percent
in
two
years:
family
reunifications,
that's
where
a
child
may
come
into
care,
but
then
is
reunified
with
their
family
have
dropped
by
34.
In
two
years,
adoptions
have
dropped
39
percent.
J
This
means
far
fewer
children
are
being
kept
or
returned
to
their
families
than
ever
before.
Why
are
there
no
strategies
in
this
business
plan,
specifically
around
preserving
families
reunifying
families?
That
does
not
seem
to
be
a
key
objective
of
this
of
this
ministry.
I
want
to
talk
about
the
youth.
The
transition
to
adulthood
program
line.
4.2
is
the
youth
in
transition,
is
the
line
associated
with
the
transitions
to
adulthood
program
or
tap?
J
How
many
young
people
aged
18
to
24
are
currently
enrolled
in
the
tap
program?
How
many
of
them
are
aged
18,
to
22
and
receiving
Financial
supports
how
many
young
people
who
are
eligible
for
tap
that's
right
and
then
how
many
of
them
are
aged
23
to
24,
who
are
not
receiving
Financial
supports
how
many
young
people
who
are
eligible
for
tap,
meaning
they
are
between
the
ages
of
18
and
24
and
were
in
Care
at
the
time
they
turned
18
are
not
currently
enrolled
in
the
program.
J
The
top
program
has
four
streams
of
service
education,
employment,
stability
and
adult
supports.
Can
the
minister
confirm
when
a
young
person
in
Care
turns
18?
Are
they
required
to
choose
just
one
stream
or
they
can
receive,
or
can
they
receive
Services
Under
more
than
one
stream?
What
are
the
costs
and
number
of
young
people
accessing
supports
under
each
of
these
streams?
J
If
a
nation
enters
into
a
coordination
agreement
under
Bill
c92
is
a
Ministry
reporting
on
that
Arrangement,
as
if
those
children
are
with
a
dfna
or
what
is
what
is
the
indicator?
What
does
this
indicate
when
we're
tracking
now
and
publicly
reporting
on
the
number
of
children
within
a
dfna
I'd,
also
like
to
go
back
to?
J
If
you
look
at
the
provincial
statistics,
the
quarterly
statistics?
You
know
the
minister
and
just
opening
comments
mentioned
that
they're
working
to
reduce
the
number
of
or
to
address
the
disproportionate
number
of
indigenous
children
in
care.
But,
as
we
see
the
numbers
over
the
last
little
while,
and
particularly
the
numbers
right
now
indicate
that
actually
74
of
indigenous
make
74
percent
of
the
children
in
care
are
made
up
by
indigenous
children,
but
indigenous
children.
Only
make
up
10
percent
of
the
population.
J
J
I'm,
this
is
my
fourth
time
sitting
in
budgets.
Maybe
it's
like
yeah,
my
fourth
time
sitting
in
budget
debates
and
I
still
don't
see
anywhere
and
this
business
plan
in
this
budget
strategies
to
address
the
very
pressing
crisis.
The
minister
took
some
time
to
outline
the
process
when
a
death
occurs
in
care.
We're
all
very
familiar
with
that
by
now.
The
point
is
over
the
last
two
years:
things
have
gotten
exponentially.
Worse
and
I.
Do
not
see
a
change
in
practice.
I
do
not
hear
from
the
minister
a
change
in
practice.
J
J
So
can
the
minister
really
truly
provide
any
strategies?
Objectives
changes,
not
just
putting
more
dollars
in
certain
lines
of
the
budget.
What
has
changed
that
is
actually
going
to
make
children
and
youth
in
Alberta
in
our
child
intervention
system
safer,
improve
their
well-being
and
ensure
they
have
better
outcomes,
because
the
government's
record
on
this
to
date
is
abysmal,.
I
The
the
question
of
why
adoption
is
included
in
that
line
item
is
is
fairly
fairly
simple.
Everything
in
Sophia
is
included
in
that
particular
line
item,
and
that
is
why
I
referenced
it
earlier
in
my
remarks.
The
four
million
dollars
for
the
adoptions
initiative
is
included
in
in
in
the
line
item,
2.2
and
I.
Hope
that
addresses
that
particular
question.
I
When
we
talk
about
the
member
had
asked
a
little
bit
about
additional
commentary
as
it
relates
to
to
to
intakes
and
I
wanted
to
elaborate
a
little
bit
more
on
on
that
as
well.
When
we,
when
we
speak
of
intakes
and
the
efficiencies
that
the
department
has
implemented,
I
wanted
to
note
that
it
is
not
a
case
of
cases
case
intake
workers,
not
opening
files,
but
it
is
actually
a
more
efficient
and
streamlined
process.
I
Intake
has
been
Consolidated
under
one
manager
in
each
of
the
five
regions
and
under
the
Consolidated
intake
teams
report
through
the
same
manager
and
the
work
is
Consolidated
into
intake
units,
and
we
find
that
this
has
helped
ensure
consistency
across
the
province.
Two
teams
in
Calgary
and
Edmonton
remain
responsible
for
after
hours
for
the
entire
Province.
We
also
have
implemented
technology
through
the
Bernie
telephone
system
and
scheduling,
improvements
to
help
maximize
the
use
of
staff
and
supports
and
consistency
when
it
comes
to
to
our
intakes.
I
I
Like
the
overall
child
population,
we
are
seeing
an
increase
in
the
number
of
children
with
mental
health,
addictions,
emotional
and
behavioral
difficulties.
These
children
require
intensive
support
and
exceed
the
needs
of
care
provided
by
Foster
and
Kinship
Caregivers.
There
are
many
definitions
of
complexity
in
child
intervention
cases.
The
ministry
is
working
to
improve
the
definition
of
complexity.
I
At
this
time
we
are
using
permanent
caseload,
permanent
care
caseload
as
a
proxy
for
complexity.
The
proportion
of
Children
and
Youth
that
are
in
permanent
care
is
58
of
the
total
child
intervention
caseload
over
the
last
three
years.
Permanent
care
caseload,
as
a
proportion
of
the
total
case
load,
has
increased
year
over
year
and
the
projected
permanent
care
caseload
for
2023-24
is
expected
to
remain
relatively
stable,
with
a
monthly
average,
okay
so
to
4
366,
Children
and
Youth
complex
cases.
I
I
There
was
a
there
was
a
question
that
The
Honorable
member
mentioned
about
performance
measures
and
I
do
want
to
comment
quickly
on
that.
You
know,
suggestions
for
additional
performance
measures
were
considered
and
were
researched
during
the
development
of
the
2023-2026
business
plan.
For
example,
the
tap
program
was
looked
at
for
a
new
metric,
however,
as
it
was
only
launched
in
April,
1st
of
2022
and
performance
measures
requires
12
months
of
previous
data.
I
We
we
felt
such
that
we
needed
more
time
to
assess
whether
it
was
appropriate
to
consider
additional
performance
measures,
and
it
is
important
to
note
that,
once
we
have
a
complete
set
of
data
for
the
entire
year,
we'll
be
able
to
assess
what
performance
measures
we
will.
We
will
consider
on
the
issue
of
First
Nations
communities
and
the
supports
that
are
being
provided.
I
can
comment
on
a
number
of
issues
in
relation
to
that.
I
And
so
we
are
working
with
a
number
of
First
Nations
to
develop
coordination
agreements
and
I'm
pleased
to
say
that
those
negotiations
are
moving
along.
Well,
we
support
igbs
to
develop
agreements
and
when
transitioning
to
their
legislative
authority
over
Child
and
Family
Services,
and
our
government
will
continue
to
support
First
Nations
as
they
work
towards
as
they
work
towards
or
assume
Authority
under
the
federal
act.
In
respect
to
the
questions
and
related
to
the
types
of
supports
that
we
provide
to
First
Nations
communities,
we
have
provide.
I
We
we
do
provide
as
Children's
Services
provide
a
number
of
different
supports,
including
what
are
referred
to
as
transition
supports
and
Bridge
funding
and
access
to
our
information
systems.
To
avoid
gaps
in
knowledge,
we
continue
to
fund
the
cost
of
placement
for
some
children
as
needed
and
providing
staff
members.
For
six
months.
We
provide
after-hour
Services
office
space
and
equipment
at
no
cost.
I
The
first
unit
First
Nations
communities,
as
they
assume
the
role
of
control
and
care
for
children,
remember
children,
so
the
number
of
supports
that
are
provided
to
First
Nations
communities
from
the
ministry
of
children
services
continues
to
be
strong.
We
continue
to
do
everything
that
we
can
to
ensure
a
smooth
transition,
as
it
relates
to
those
First
Nations
communities
that
wish
to
exercise
their
jurisdiction
under
federal
law.
I
I
J
Thank
you,
Minister
and
thank
you,
madam
chair
I
will
just
as
we're
just
trailing
author
on
the
on
the
top
program.
I
I
would
appreciate
if
you
could
table
and
just
clarification,
that
1400
are
eligible
for
financial
supports
under
top,
then
another
1400
under
advancing
Futures.
Just
if
you
can
clarify
those
numbers.
My
question
is,
though,
I
I
want
some
specificity
around.
J
A
J
120
of
those
that
number
assuming
that
number
stays
stable
over
years
is
shows
to
me
that
the
ministry
is
not
engaging
in
providing
the
supports
to
a
lot
of
young
people
who
probably
need
them.
I
want
to
move
on
to
child
care
and
talk
about
the
child
care
budget.
So
the
overall
Child
Care
budget
went
up
193
million
from
2022.
J
J
J
Section
4.83
of
the
Canada
Alberta
elcc
agreement
states
that
Canada
and
Alberta
agree
that
funds
provided
under
this
agreement
will
not
displace
existing
provincial
spending
in
place
on
or
before
March
31st
2021.
So
the
province
must
spend
all
of
its
budgeted
provincial
dollars
for
child
care
on
Child
Care.
J
Although
the
2022
fiscal
year
will
not
be
over
for
another
two
weeks,
can
the
minister
assure
this
committee
that
the
entire
provincial
budget
for
child
care
in
2022,
which
was
approximately
350
million
dollars,
was
actually
spent
on
child
care
in
2022
of
the
1.07
billion
forecast
to
be
spent
in
2022
on
child
care?
How
much
of
that
was
provincial
spending?
J
The
action
plan
must
include
an
implementation
plan
targets
for
specific
indicators,
around
space
creation,
inclusive
Child,
Care
educator
numbers,
wages,
training
and
PD
flexible
Child,
Care
Etc
has
that
action
plan
been
publicly
released
already
is
required
by
the
agreement
and,
if
not,
when
will
it
be
made
publicly
available
section
5.2.2
D
of
the
agreement
states
that
within
365
days,
at
the
end
of
each
fiscal
year,
Alberta
May
report
to
the
people
of
Alberta
the
results
and
expenditures
of
elcc
programs
and
services.
This
was
not
done
for
the
2021
fiscal
year.
J
J
I
want
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
cost
control
framework,
which
of
course
sets
out
how
the
one
point
I
forget
the
total.
Now
one
point,
three
1.039
billion
dollars
in
Child
Care
funding
will
be
administered
this
upcoming
fiscal
year
budget
line.
3.1
includes
parent
subsidies
and
affordability,
Grant
payments
to
operators.
The
minister,
of
course
signed
a
cost
control
framework
with
the
federal
government
at
the
end
of
January
of
this
year,
which
will
change
the
funding
model
for
both
for-profit
and
non-profit
child
care
providers
in
the
2023
fiscal
year.
J
When
does
the
minister
expect
the
new
funding
model
to
take
effect
under
the
new
funding
model?
Will
there
be
parent
subsidies
for
parents
earning
below
a
certain
income?
Is
that
on
top
of
the
new
funding
model,
or
will
that
be
rolled
into
it?
Will
the
income
and
subsidy
payment
levels
remain
the
same
as
they
are
now?
If
not,
what
will
the
new
income
thresholds
and
subsidy
amounts
be?
J
The
cost
control
framework
states
that
parent
fees
will
be
defined
by
the
government
at
an
average
of
15
per
day
in
2023,
also
under
the
cost
control
framework,
enhanced
services
are
described
as
fees
outside
the
federal
agreement
that
may
include
additional
parent
fees.
They
include
fees
for
transportation,
field,
trips,
special
programming
or
other
additional
costs
that
support
Innovation
and
creativity
within
the
Child
Care
Program.
That
is
a
quote
from
the
cost
control
framework.
J
Will
parents
be
involved
in
determining
what
the
ministry
considers
enhanced
services
since
the
government
did
away
with
accreditation
for
quality
of
child
care
four
years
ago?
How
can
the
minister
tell
albertans
that
this
won't
create
a
race
to
the
bottom
in
terms
of
the
quality
of
child
care,
where
things
like
nutrition
field
trips
specialized
supports
language
and
cultural
resources
will
be
considered
extras
that
only
children
whose
parents
can
afford
it
have
access
to
what
this
used
to
be
considered
part
of
standard
access
to
Quality
child
care?
J
How
will
the
ministry
be
reviewing
the
programs
that
are
charging
enhanced
fees
and
will
they
be
reviewing
the
details
of
each
enhance
fee,
that's
being
charged
by
every
program?
Will
they
have
to
be
approved
annually
by
the
ministry
and
will
the
ministry
be
reviewing
those
amounts
to
assure
they
are
reasonable.
J
J
Has
a
minister
consulted
with
parents
about
what
they
are
able
and
willing
to
pay
for
for
so-called
enhanced
Services
the
framework
states
that
children
cannot
be
denied
access
to
a
program
because
a
parent
cannot
afford
the
fees,
but
they
can
be
denied
the
special
programming
activity
or
meal
because
they
can't
pay
the
fee?
How
does
the
minister
believe
that
isolating
or
withholding
certain
programs
activities
meals
from
children
whose
parents
can't
afford
to
pay
extra
fees,
is
consistent
with
key
objective
1.1
of
the
business
plan,
which
is
of
course
outlined
in
the
business
plan?
J
Operators
and
educators
are
shocked
at
the
suggestion
that
children
and
should
receive
quality
of
care
based
on
what
their
parents
can
afford,
and
it
made
it
clear
that
it's
not
even
possible
to
provide
some
services
to
some
children
and
not
others
in
the
same
group
or
program
due
to
cost
realities
and
Staffing
ratios.
So,
as
a
minister
expecting
programs
to
Simply
eat
the
cost
of
these
enhanced
services
or
are
these
families?
Are
they
just
simply
going
to
stop
offering
them
all
together
and
thereby
reducing
the
quality
of
care?
J
Budget
2023
allocates
1.04
billion
dollars
in
line
3.1
for
child
care,
affordability
and
access,
the
majority
of
which
is
federal
funding,
but
the
ministry
still
hasn't
consulted
with
for-profit
or
non-profit
Child
Care
operators
about
how
much
funding
will
be
required
from
the
government
for
core
child
costs.
It's
leaving
that
work
for
after
the
election
is
the
minister
willing
to
increase
provincial,
invest
investment
in
child
care.
If
those
consultations
indicate
that
line
3.1
in
the
budget
is
insufficient
to
adequately
cover
the
true
cost
of
delivering
a
quality,
Child
Care
Program.
J
So
that
would
require
the
provincial
government
to
end
to
increase
their
investment
in
child
care
to
cover
affordability
for
out
of
school
care,
because
the
provincial
spending
for
child
care
is
flat
this
year.
Once
again,
does
that
indicate
that
the
provincial
government
will
not
be
providing
any
additional
affordability
supports
for
parents
and
families
using
out
of
school
care,
and-
and
can
the
minister
report
on
that
note
how
many
children
it
has
it
currently
believes
is
enrolled
in
out
of
school
care
programs
across
Alberta.
J
J
How
many
of
the
non-profit,
Child
Care
spaces
are
in
Family
Day
homes
and
how
many
of
these
Family
Day
Home
Spaces
are
currently
enrolled,
as
at
the
end
of
fiscal
year,
2022?
How
many
for-profit
Child
Care
spaces
are
in
the
Pro?
Are
there
in
the
province
how
many
of
those
for-profit
spaces
are
in
child
care
facilities
and
how
many
are
enrolled?
J
I
As
it
relates
to
the
question
about
the
the
action
plan
that
the
the
member
mentioned,
I
have
an
answer
to
that
as
well.
The
child
care
action
plan
was
in
fact,
publicly
released
with
the
agreement
following
its
signing.
The
new
action
plan
for
2023
2026
is
under
development
and
will
be
posted
once
it
is
finalized
with
Canada
as
well
so
you'll
be
able
to
see
that
you'll
be
able
to
see
the
original
and
you'll
be
able
to
see
the
new
action
plan
shortly
as
well.
I
I
The
Canada
Alberta
Early
Learning
and
child
care
agreement
provided
for
3.8
billion
dollars
over
the
next
five
years
in
what
we
refer
to
as
a
made
in
Alberta
approach
and
I,
say
that,
because
it
truly
is
a
unique
agreement
that
is
different
than
any
other
agreement,
I
would
say
in
the
entire
country
and
unique
because
it
ensured
that
all
daycare
operators
in
in
this
province
would
be
included
in
that
Federal
funding
as
well
and
I.
Think
that
is.
That
is
fundamentally
the
most
important
thing
that
I'd
like
to
convey
to
The
Honorable
member.
I
We
wanted
to
make
sure
and
I
don't
particularly
like
distinguishing
between
not-for-profits
and
private
operators
in
this
province,
because
they
all
deliver
quality,
affordable
and
accessible
daycare
in
this
province,
and
we
are,
as
a
government
committed
to
protecting,
preserving
all
of
our
operators
in
this
province.
Through
this
funding
framework,
the
question
of
how
the
framework
is
going
to
be
implemented
is
one
that
I
think
I
have
mentioned
on
a
number
of
occasions
to
the
member.
I
The
framework
is
the
guide
on
how
the
government
will
develop
the
implementation
details
of
the
plan
and
it
is
Guided
by
a
number
of
principles,
number
one:
ensuring
accountability
and
direct
use
of
funds,
while
still
supporting
parental
choice
for
child
care
services,
the
other,
maintaining
rigor
around
licensing
requirements
and
financial
practices
and
finally,
reducing
potential
exposure
to
fee
and
cost
escalation
for
parents
and
for
government.
And
what
we're
going
to
do
is
engage.
And
we
have
said
this
a
number
of
times.
I
We're
doing
so
in
a
more
focused
engagement
sessions
that
allow
operators
throughout
the
province
to
provide
their
input
and
we're
doing
it
a
number
of
times
to
make
sure
that
every
single
operator
in
this
province
has
the
opportunity
to
weigh
in
on
some
of
the
unique
challenges
that
they
may
have
in
their
particular
geographic
region
or
other
Market
variations
that
may
impact
their
their
business
viability.
And
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
the
framework
has
all
of
the
parameters
available
to
it.
I
But
what
I
would
say
to
The
Honorable
member
is
the
the
assumption
that
this
is
going
to
create
a
two-tiered
system
is
simply
Incorrect
and
The
Honorable
member
has
the
has
I
think
a
responsibility
to
convey
the
information
that
I'm
providing
here
today
to
operators
in
this
province
and
particularly
on
those
engagement
sessions.
The
member
has
made
a
number
of
assumptions
that
are
simply
incorrect.
We
will
not
be
creating
a
two-tiered
system,
we
will
not
be
creating
a
system
that
is
inequitable
and
we
will
not
be
creating
a
system
that
is
difficult
to
access.
B
D
No
thank
you
very
much.
Minister
I
actually
prefer
block
time.
It
provides
an
opportunity
for
a
more
nuanced
response
from
yourself,
Minister,
which
I
know
many
albertans
are
going
to
be
extremely
interested
in
before
I
begin.
These
questions
I
just
want
to
Echo
some
of
the
comments
from
the
colleague
from
Edmonton
Whitewood
and
just
express
my
sorrow
to
the
families
affected
by
the
two
EPS
officers
that
lost
their
lives
at
a
line
of
duty.
D
It's
a
horrible
day
for
many
families
involved
in
protective
services
and
thoughts
and
prayers
are
with
them
here
for
the
next
little
while
Minister,
you
have
a
very
tough
portfolio
with
every
line
item
on
the
budget.
I
know
you
know
from
conversations
with
yourself,
as
well
as
many
families
right
around
the
province.
There's
a
family
on
the
other
end
of
that
line.
D
Item
there's
a
child
that
needs
help,
there's
a
parent
that
needs
support
and
I,
realize
that
there's
a
story
behind
every
aspect
of
your
ministry
and
for
the
work
that
you
do
I
want.
You
know
that
I
appreciate
it.
You
know
when
pertaining
to
my
questions
here
this
morning.
I
really
want
to
zero.
In
on
a
specific
topic,
that
is
of
a
grave
importance
to
myself,
my
you
know
and
many
constituents
I've
been
able
to
chat
with,
and
that
really
has
to
do
with
adoption.
D
First
of
all,
that
I
appreciate
the
work
that
you've
done
in
this
file
and
making
sure
that
children
can
find
forever
homes,
because
that
is
my
number
one
prerogative.
So
I
guess
a
couple
questions
that
I
have
obviously
pertain
to
the
budget
and
I.
Guess
that's
the
kind
of
Kickstart
I
know
on
page
85,
the
fiscal
plan
States,
the
additional
12
million
dollars
over
three
years
has
been
included
to
increase
the
number
of
adoptions
of
children
in
government
care
to
family
homes
and
I.
D
D
Two
is
obviously
immense
number,
because
we
want
to
make
sure
that
we're
not
just
enabling
families
that
have
already
gone
through
the
adoption
process,
but
that
we're
actually
making
a
substantial
difference
to
Children
Here
and
then,
obviously,
you
know,
Minister
I
would
love
to
kind
of
get
a
basic
overview
about
the
process
for
adopting
children
from
government
care,
like
I
said
before
their
families
all
over
this
province.
That
every
day
are
in
essence
praying
for
ability
to
Simply
increase
their
family
now
I
know
I
know.
D
D
If
you
can
Minister
about
the
nuances
and
the
differences
about
adopting
domestically
versus
internationally,
because
I
know
for
myself
Minister,
we
had
to
go
through
the
international
route,
and
one
of
the
key
reasons
was
is
that
there
wasn't
an
available
child
for
us
to
be
able
to
adopt
here
in
the
province.
So
we
were
forced
to
go
International
to
the
United
States
to
be
a
little
bit
more
specific
and
so
I
guess.
D
I
was
just
wondering
for
a
little
bit
of
nuance
between
or
description
about,
the
differences
between
domestic
adoptions
versus
International,
and
so
with
these
health
benefits
that
will
come
about
from
a
family
that
goes
to
the
adoption
process.
I
was
wondering
if
you
could
just
elaborate
and
provide
an
estimate
cost
to
this
program,
and
then
how
will
this
program
work
and
will
adoptive
parents
have
to
apply
for
these
benefits
or
will
be
come
about
as
a
natural
result
of
the
adoption
process
and
then
obviously
I?
D
Guess
a
clarifying
question
is
how
long
do
these
benefits
last?
Do
they
last
until
the
age
of
18.
I
know
for
many
adopted
parents
the
there's
always
that
that
fear
in
the
back
of
their
mind
about
what
are
the
health
ramifications
or
the
health
history
of
the
child
that
will
be
entering
their
family?
You
know
as
if
for
a
natural
born
child.
Obviously
we
know
the
health
history
of
that
particular
baby,
but
for
adopted
kids,
it's
always
in
the
back
of
the
minds.
D
D
It
talks
about
that
there
will
be
six
thousand
dollars
and
Grand
funding
made
available
to
prospective
adopted
parents
making
less
than
a
hundred
and
eighty
thousand
dollars
a
year.
So
I
know
with
some
other
Ministries.
The
180
000
Mark
has
been
used
as
a
bit
of
a
threshold
for
in
terms
of
additional
government
support,
so
wondering
Minister.
Perhaps
you
could
describe
about
why
this
hundred
eighty
thousand
dollars
is
important
and
why
this
particular
number
was
actually
used.
D
D
They
couldn't
actually
follow
through,
and
it
wasn't
because
they
didn't
want
to
trust
me
listening
to
their
heartfelt
story
about
how
they
simply
wanted
to
have
a
child.
It
was
because
they
couldn't
financially
afford,
afford
it
anymore
and
Minister.
I
know
it's
just
my
own
personal
opinion,
but
I
think
it's
an
absolute
travesty.
When
anyone
is
required
to
spend
in
essence,
tens
of
thousands
of
dollars
of
money
out
of
their
own
pocket
to
cover
down
this
path,
and
then
they
have
to
give
up.
D
And
so
they
hear
the
see
that
that
look
in
their
eyes
when
they
realize
that
you
know
the
well
has
run
dry
and
so
to
for
the
fact
that
for
the
first
time
there's
this
type
of
substantial
financial
support
for
families
that
are
willing
to
go
down
this
long
and
onerous
path.
I
think
is
incredible
and
kudos
to
yourself
Minister
for
for
putting
or
putting
forth
that
base
of
support.
D
So
again,
I!
Guess,
as
a
question
pertain
to
this
point,
can
the
minister
give
an
estimate
about
how
many
families
will
receive
this
tax
credit
and
then,
as
well
as
B,
is
a
unfortunately
with
so
many
government
programs
they're
fantastic?
We
know
the
positive
effects
they
can
have
on
the
community
on
a
family
unit,
but
is
there
going
to
be
any
additional
advertising
or
work
done
to
informal
burdens
that
the
support
is
available
to
them?
If
they're
choosing
adoption,
you
know,
especially,
you
know,
I
guess
it's
a
side
issue
about
the
benefits
of
adoption.
D
Just
letting
people
know
that
this
is
a
viable
choice
for
prospective
or
sorry
for
mothers
to
be
able
to
look
at
and
I
would
hope
that
maybe,
for
a
future
conversation
that
you
know
the
adoption
option
would
would
be
a
little
bit
more
prevalent.
But
in
the
meantime,
I
do
know
with
these,
with
these
extra
tax
credits
that
we're
able
to
put
forth
as
well
as
the
additional
financial
support.
I
You
very
much
Madam
chair
once
again
and
thank
you
to
The
Honorable
member
as
well,
for
raising
a
very
important
issue
and
I'd
like
to
take
the
opportunity
to
recognize
MLA
turton
for
truly
leading
the
way
in
terms
of
raising
awareness
and
providing
your
your
valued
input
and
your
support
to
me
to
my
Ministry
into
the
department
over
the
few
past
few
years
and
and
for
the
courage
that
you've
demonstrated
in
sharing
your
personal
story.
Because
I
think
that
you
know.
L
L
I
Will
impact
favorably
a
number
of
families
in
this
province?
The
12
million
dollars
that
has
been
allocated
over
three
years
are
ultimately,
four
million
dollars
per
year
has
been
allocated
to
cover
the
entire
cost
of
supplemental
health
benefits
for
children
adopted
in
Alberta,
regardless
of
whether
they
are
adopted
from
the
government
system
or
through
private
licensed
agencies
in
the
province,
and
this
will
become
effective.
I
As
of
this
fall,
the
member
Madam
chair
inquired
about
what
those
health
benefits
include
and
also
how
long
they
will
go
to
and
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
those
health
benefits
will
continue
on
until
a
child
turns
18
and
they'll
cover
cover.
A
number
of
different
areas
of
supplementary
health
benefits
include
things
like
Vision
Dental,
mental
health
supports
and
others
that
will
help
provide
parents
and
families
with
that
much
needed
support
as
it
relates
to
to
adopting
in
this
province.
I
The
cost
of
adoptions
in
this
province,
and
probably
indeed
everywhere,
is,
is
sometimes
prohibitive,
and
we
wanted
to
make
sure
that
we
implemented
every
type
of
option
available
to
ensure
that
the
costs
did
not
impact
a
family's
decision
to
proceed
with
the
adoption
process.
As
as
The
Honorable
member
mentioned
Madam
chair,
the
the
cost
of
adoption
can
be
somewhat
prohibitive
and
take
many
years
to
complete
and
I
think
you.
He
alluded
to
a
number
of
different
areas.
I
I
I
The
number
of
approved
prospective
adoptive
parents
in
this
government
adoption
program
has,
however,
declined
at
some
times.
There
have
been
times
where
there
have
been
over
a
hundred
approved
applicants,
but
now
we
have
approximately
40.
the
number
of
approved
prospective
adopted
parents
through
licensed
adoption.
Agencies
has
been
steadily
increasing
over
the
past
10
years,
with
over
200
applicants
now
awaiting
an
adoptive
match.
This
number
has
been
increasing,
as
the
number
of
adoptions
completed
annually
is
decreasing.
F
Thank
you
Minister,
so
we
Alberta
regulates
the
private
adoption
system
in
compliance
with
the
Hague
convention.
There
are
three
licensed
adoption
agencies
who
exclusively
handle
adoptions
of
children
who
are
adopted
privately
from
families
who
live
here
in
Alberta
or
Canada
or
internationally,
with
our
largest
source
country
being
the
United
States.
F
Public
adoptions
are
completely
administered
by
the
department,
and
that
includes
children,
who've
come
into
the
care
of
the
director
and
where,
after
a
consultation,
if
they're
indigenous
with
the
community,
we
are
able
to
place
those
children
either
with
family.
Most
of
the
children
who
are
adopted
through
public
adoption
are
placed
with
family
extended
family
for
those
who
are
placed
with
a
new
family.
F
If
they're
indigenous,
we
have
to
continue
to
consult
with
the
indigenous
Community
to
ensure
that
they
are
comfortable
and
that
we
hear
out
any
concerns
they
have
about
continuing
with
the
child's
cultural
connections,
and
those
adoptions
are
then
managed
completely
by
us,
and
there
is
no
cost
to
the
family
for
adopting
a
child
from
government
care.
There
are,
of
course,
costs
particularly
related
to
Legal
cause
for
adopting
a
child
from
a
private
system.
F
I
A
A
A
A
A
B
J
Proceed.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
Thank
you.
Minister
I'm,
very
pleased
to
hear
that
the
minister
intends
to
spend
the
full
provincial
Budget
on
child
care
of
351
million.
He
will
likely
be
the
first
of
his
colleagues
to
do
so.
So
I
certainly
hope
that
we
do
actually
invest
all
those
dollars
in
child
care
in
the
upcoming
fiscal
year.
Should
the
government
remain
the
same
I
also
I
I
I'd,
like
to
mention
with
respect
to
the
cost
control
framework.
J
I
do
do
believe.
It's
important
to
mention
that
you
know
myself
as
the
critic
for
children's
services
is,
has
actually
never
used
the
term
two-tier
Child
Care,
but
I
I
do
note
that
the
minister
has
used
it
a
number
of
times
and
and
I
think
that
the
concerns
around
the
cost
control
framework
are
coming
directly
from
stakeholders
and
operators.
So
I'm
sure
the
minister
has
heard
from
as
well,
and
you
know
that
is
a
concern
they've
raised,
although
I've
never
used
that
term.
J
But
that
is
a
concern
when
we
talk
about
charging
parents
for
some
qualities
or
elements
of
programming,
and
that
will
make
a
difference
between
who
can
and
cannot
afford
it.
You
know
the
minister
indicated
that
he
believed
it's
it's
my
responsibility.
Perhaps
the
official
opposition's
responsibility
to
encourage
operators
to
engage
in
consultations
and
I
certainly
would
be
happy
to
do
so.
If
the
minister
would,
you
know,
be
willing
to
share
some
information,
I've
never
received
an
invitation
or
information
about
the
cost
control
framework.
J
What
we
should
be
telling
I
should
be
telling
operators
who
reach
out
to
me
happy
to
do
that.
If
the
minister
has
some
concrete
information
that
he
would
like
to
share
with
me,
but
certainly
I
always
encourage
stakeholders
and
operators
to
use
their
voices
to
influence
the
decisions
that
are
being
made,
but
I
also
take
their
concerns
and
bring
them
forward
to
the
minister.
J
I
would
like
to
go
back
to
the
child
care
and
talk
about
or
ask
the
minister
how
many
Family
Day
agencies
are
currently
operating
in
Alberta
and
how
many
new
family
day
home
agencies
were
approved
in
2022.
We
know,
of
course,
with
the
agreement
many
unlicensed
day
homes
decided
to
become
licensed,
which
is
great
news
and,
of
course
they
had
to
join
a
family
agency
home
agency
in
2022.
In
accordance
with
the
Canada
elcc
agreement,
the
ministry
had
a
target
of
creating
10
000
new
non-profit
Child
Care
spaces.
J
How
many
new,
how
many
of
those
non-profit
Child
Care
spaces,
did
the
ministry
create
in
2022?
Can
the
minister
provide
a
breakdown
of
how
many
of
those
non-profit
spaces
were
in
facility-based
child
care?
How
many
in
Family
Day
homes
and
how
many
in
preschools
the
2023
business
plan
does
not
include
a
target
for
space
creation
for
this
upcoming
year?
However,
we
know
that,
under
the
agreement,
Alberta
must
create
another
10
000
new
non-profit
spaces
in
2023.
J
What
strategies
will
the
ministry
be
using
to
create
those
additional
10
000
new
spaces
this
upcoming
year
and
how
many
for-profit
child
support
child
care
spaces?
Do
the
does
the
minister
expect
to
be
created
in
2023
I
want
to
move
on
to
the
workforce,
because,
as
the
minister
knows,
you
know
we
can
create
as
many
spaces
as
we
want
with
dollars
and
license
as
many
spaces
as
we
want
in
this
province.
J
But
if
we
don't
have
the
Educators
to
actually
provide
supports
and
services
to
Children,
it
doesn't
matter
how
many
spaces
we
have
so
how
many
certified
Early
Childhood
educators
are
there
currently
working
in
the
province
based
on
hours
submitted
for
wage
top-ups?
How
many
level
one
level
two
and
level
three
in
the
past
year?
J
Can
the
minister
advise
how
many
currently
licensed
spaces
in
Alberta
are
not
enrolled
due
to
staff
shortages?
How
many
new
educators
are
required
to
ensure
sufficient
Staffing
for
all
currently
licensed
basements
in
Alberta
in
line
3.2
of
the
budget?
There's
a
32
million
increase
in
federal
funding
for
Child,
Care,
Quality
and
worker
supports
how
much
of
this
increase
reflects
the
increase
in
the
wage
Top-Up
announced
in
December
2022
and
using
what
number
of
level
one
two
and
three
Educators
is
that
increase
calculated
on
for
the
2023
fiscal
year.
J
Many
provinces
have
chosen
to
take
the
federal
funding
under
this
agreement
to
actually
Implement
a
wage
grid
for
educators,
because
that
is
critically
important
to
provide
a
path
for
professional
development
and
for
educators
to
see
that
path
going
forward.
It
would
mean
that
they
would
get
paid
not
just
based
on
their
qualifications,
but
also
on
their
seniority
and
experience.
Many
other
provinces
have
done
this.
J
I
Thank
you
very
much,
Madam
Sharon.
Thank
you
to
The
Honorable
member
for
for
the
question.
So
I'll
go
once
again
in
the
order
that
we
receive
them.
You
know
I
appreciate
the
praise
that
The
Honorable
member
provided
with
respect
to
child
care
budget
spending.
We
are
absolutely
committed
and
dedicated
to
thoroughly
funding
child
care
in
this
province,
and
we
will
continue
to
do
so.
I
The
honorable
members
on
the
opposition
side
advocate
for
a
number
of
years,
and
that
was
supporting
their
25
A
Day
daycare
pilot
program
and
in
that
program
approximately
7
500
of
a
total
of
109
000
children
enrolled
in
licensed
or
approved
facilities,
benefited
from
the
25
a
day
day
care
program.
That's
about
seven
percent
of
the
total
enrolled
kids
in
licensed
or
approved
child
care
in
this
province
of
the
7
500
that
were
enrolled
in
Pilot
programs.
I
I
do
have
a
breakdown
for
the
member
in
relation
to
daycare
spaces
and
in
addition
to
that,
by
type
current
spaces,
daycare,
74,
222
out-of-school
care,
fifty
five
thousand
three
hundred
and
sixty
four
in
preschool
fifteen
thousand
seven
hundred
and
forty
one
and
in
home-based
care.
Fourteen
thousand
140.
I
The
member
spoke
about
implementing
a
wage
grid
and
I
wanted
to
address
that
as
part
of
the
elcc
agreement.
Alberta
committed
to
exploring
a
wage
grid
and
other
benefit
considerations
to
help
recruit
and
retain
high
quality
trained
Educators,
and
we
fundamentally
believe
that
our
Educators
need
to
grow
consistent
with
the
growth
of
daycare
operators
in
this
province
to
support
an
overall
strengthened
day
care
system.
And
while
we
currently
are
exploring
options
for
a
wage
grid
and
other
benefit
considerations,
we
continue
to
support
the
ECE
Workforce
through
a
long-standing
wage.
Top-Up
model.
H
H
So
with
that
a
sort
of
pieced
together
a
whole
bunch
of
of
questions
and
outcome.
Two
of
the
Children's
Services
business
plan
is
the
safety,
resiliency
and
cultural
connections
of
children.
Youth
and
families
are
supported
in
Children
and
Youth
are
protected,
so
I'm,
hoping
that
you
can
explain
how
cultural
and
Community
connections
are
preserved
when
possible,
for
children
coming
into
care
and
if
there's
been
more
focus
on
placements
in
kinship
care,
and
how
is
the
number
of
children
in
kinship
care
changed
over
the
years?
H
A
key
objective
2.2
in
the
business
plan
is
work
with
First,
Nations
and
government
of
Canada
to
implement
an
accurate,
respecting
First,
Nations,
Inuit
and
metis
children,
youth
and
Families,
so
I
believe
children
services
can
play
a
large
role
in
reconciliation.
I'm
glad
to
see
this
as
an
objective
for
the
ministry,
especially
given
the
proportionally
large
number
of
indigenous
children
in
government
care
across
the
country,
and
you
know,
inevitably
it's
such
a
crucial
time
to
have
positive
experiences
in
these
children's
lives.
H
I
You
also
mentioned
your
work
on
the
missing
and
murdered
indigenous
women
and
girls
panel
and
again
there
is
a
number
of
overlap.
I
guess,
if
you
will,
in
terms
of
some
of
the
work
that
we
see
in
in
this
ministry,
along
with
other
Ministries
as
well,
and
so
that
work
is
tremendously
important
and
The
Honorable
member
must
be
commended
for
all
of
his
hard
work.
I
But
it
is
also
always
the
first
choice
as
well.
A
family-based
care
is
incredibly
important
and
the
reason
that
I
take
that
approach
is
because,
if
you
look
at
the
fundamental
interest
of
the
child-
and
you
look
at
what
type
of
placements
in
an
already
very
difficult
situation,
are
the
least
intrusive
and
the
least
impactful
on
a
child's
well-being
and
safety.
It
is
typically
favorable
to
to
look
to
family
to
to
to
to
conduct
that
placement,
because
there
is
familiarity
there
is
a
cultural
connection.
There
may
be
a
language
connection.
I
I
will
say
this
The
Honorable
member
mentioned
that
you
know
that.
Isn't
that
doesn't
always
happen
and
the
reason
for
that
is
because
it's
not
always
available
while
we
prefer
certainly
to
place
children
with
with
close
family
and
relatives
that
doesn't
always
present
itself
to
be
an
available
option,
and
certainly
when
you
consider
it
the
the
perimetal
children's
services,
and
that
is
a
safety
and
well-being
of
children
when
there
isn't
an
appropriate
kinship
placement,
then
we'll
look
at
other
avenues
to
consider
as
well.
I
The
member
mentioned,
or
had
some
questions
about
the
bill,
c92
and
the
the
and
and
the
question
of
what
we're
doing
to
work
with
First
Nations
communities
to
develop
coordination
agreements
and
effectively.
These
are
trilateral
agreements
between
the
the
First
Nations,
the
province
of
Alberta
and
the
federal
government
to
transfer
authority
of
over
Child
and
Family
Services
to
the
First
Nations
Community,
who
has
expressed
their
desire
to
do
so,
and
what
that
really
means,
and
the
question
was
what
types
of
what
what
type
of
child
care
is
being
transferred.
I
That
is,
the
full
authority
over
Children
and
Youth
to
First
Nations,
to
allow
them
to
exercise
that
that
care
over
their
children
and
it
effectively
removes
prevent
the
province.
From
from
that
as
well.
That's
not
to
say
that
we
are
completely
removed.
We
will
continue
to
support
in
any
way
possible.
The
timely
and
smooth
transition.
J
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you,
Minister
I'm,
just
I'm,
going
to
ask
that
if
the
minister
can
to
go
back
to
some
of
the
previous
questions,
I've
asked.
Some
of
them
were
detailed
questions
that
I'm
sure
you've
got
the
statistics
for
to
maybe
table
some
of
those
answers
and
writing
specifically
around
space
creation
and
how
many
spaces
were
non-profit
what
the
breakdown
of
where
they
were
created.
J
I'm
just
going
to
ask
to
save
time
that
perhaps
the
minister
could
commit
to
going
back
and
looking
at
those
questions
and
tabling
those
answers
when
he
gets
an
opportunity.
I
want
to
speak
about
safety
in
child
care,
so
key,
objective
1.1
in
the
2023
business
plan,
is
to
increase
access
to
child
care
through
initiatives
that
support,
affordable
quality
and
safe
and
inclusive
programs.
J
J
A
stop
order
and
so
I'm
wondering
how
many
times
both
of
those
powers
under
those
authorities
have
been
exercised
in
the
past
year.
So
because
section
23
4.2
is
limited
to
the
preceding
20
watt
four-month
period.
If
a
parent
today
contacted
the
ministry
about
whether
a
stop
order
had
been
issued
against
the
unlicensed
provider,
who
received
a
stop
order
on
February
19
2021
for
an
imminent
threat
to
a
child,
that
individual
would
be
told.
J
I
also
would
like
the
minister
advice
to
how
many
non-compliances
were
issued
to
all
licensed
and
unlicensed
child
care
providers
in
2022,
and
how
does
that
compare
to
the
number
of
non-compliances
issued
in
2019
going
back
before
covet,
because
there
were,
of
course,
so
many
changes
made
to
accommodate
coveted
restrictions,
so
I'm
asking
to
compare
numbers
pre-covered
currently
licensed
programs,
both
facility-based
and
family
day
home,
have
been
granted
exemptions
to
licensing
requirements
by
the
ministry
in
2022.
And
how
does
that
compare
to
the
number
of
exemptions
granted
in
2019?
J
On
the
topic
of
Licensing
last
year,
99
ftes
were
added
to
the
ministry
to
implement
the
federal
child
care
deal.
Can
the
minister
advise
whether
or
not
all
of
those
99
ftes
in
child
care
were
filled?
Budget
2023
indicates
that
the
ministry
will
be
adding
11
more
ftes.
Can
the
minister
advise
as
to
whether
those
Ministries
those
additional
ftes
are
being
added
to
child
intervention
or
to
early
intervention
or
to
child
care
which
area
along
the
lines
of
Licensing
requests,
persistently
I'm
sure
the
minister
is
getting
the
same?
J
Communications
from
Child
Care
operators
that
I've
been
receiving
many
times
I
know
the
minister
has
been
cc'd
on
these
notifications
of
the
delays
in
receiving
funding
under
subsidies
under
the
affordability
Grant
to
the
point
that
I've
had
emails
from
operators
saying
their
cash
flow
is
significantly
impacted
to
the
point
that
they're
not
sure
that
they're
going
to
be
able
to
keep
their
doors
open.
In
fact,
I
have
been
told
anecdotally
that
one
operator
for
sure
closed
down
because
they
could
not
get
the
cash
flow
because
the
delays
in
receiving
funding
from
the
ministry.
J
This
could
be
seen
as
a
red
tape
reduction
issue.
I
noticed
that
is
no
longer
part
of
the
ministry's
business
plan.
Well,
I
think
that's
a
good
thing.
I
still
remain
asking
the
minister
if
he
can
provide
a
list
of
all
the
I
believe
it's
in
the
multiple
thousands
of
red
tape,
regulatory
requirements
that
were
removed
between
2019
and
now
as
the
Ministries
have
boasted
about
their
numbers,
so
they've
been
counted.
J
I
would
like
to
ask
for
a
table
to
document
of
all
regulatory
requirements
that
were
removed
in
the
last
few
years,
as
well
as
all
regulatory
requirements
that
have
been
added,
because
red
tape
has
been
significantly
a
problem
through
the
administration
of
the
new
federal
child
care
deal
so
how
those
new
licensing,
operators
or
those
staff.
Why
has
there
been
no
impact
in
terms
of
the
timelines
to
make
sure
that
child
care
operators
get
the
funding?
They
desperately
need
to
survive?.
I
Thank
you
very
much
Madam
chair
and
thank
you
once
again
to
the
to
The,
Honorable
member.
There
was
a
there's,
an
initial
question
about
the
space
creation
and
I
just
wanted
to
elaborate.
We
continue
to
support
space
Creation
in
2324
in
a
number
of
different
ways.
We've
heard
from
many
communities
and
programs
that
want
to
create
new
spaces
and
we've
seen
promising
growth
in
licensed
facility
base
and
family
day
home
child
care
settings.
I
In
fact,
between
December
of
2021
and
2020
to
2022,
we
have
supported
the
creation
of
more
than
11
000
new
spaces,
including
four
thousand
seven
hundred
and
forty
one
in
non-profit
spaces,
3096
in
Family
Day
homes
and
More
Than
3
200
in
private
spaces.
We've
also
developed
a
script
space
creation
strategy
to
ensure
that
space
is
being
created
between
2023
and
2026
are
targeted
to
the
areas
of
highest
need
and
prioritized
in
that
manner.
I
We
continue
to
reach
out
to
municipalities
that
have
demonstrated
a
need
for
child
care
and
have
expressed
interest,
and
we
have
begun
conversations
with
community-based
organizations,
schools
and
child
care
operators
on
innovative
ideas
for
child
care,
in
particular
to
those
with
those
that
aim
to
support
underserved
populations,
whether
that
be
indigenous
francophone
or
children
with
disabilities
or
other
unique
unique
needs.
The
plans
for
space
creation
and
emphasize
areas
of
high
need
areas
of
high
demand
and
other
unique
areas
that
I
had
just
mentioned
earlier,
with
the
demand
or
desire
for
Unique
needs.
I
When
it
comes
to
the
question
about
the
the
ftes,
those
99
spaces
were
in
fact
filled
and
the
additional
11
FTS
that
were
posted
will
be
allocated
to
child
care,
and
that,
in
particular,
is
for
the
administration
and
delivery
of
the
Canada
Alberta
Early
Learning
and
child
care
agreement
on
the
topic
of
safety.
I
want
to
make
it
fundamentally
clear
to
everybody
in
this
room
and
everybody
watching.
The
safety
is
the
absolute
Paramount
position
that
we
take
when
it
comes
to
offering
child
care
in
this
province
and
supporting
it
in
any
number
of
ways.
I
We
remain
committed
to
supporting
the
safety
and
well-being
of
children
as
well,
whether
they
continue
to
attend
in
licensed
or
unlicensed
child
care,
and
that's
why
we
continue
to
invest
into
resources
to
help
provide
parents
and
providers
with
access
to
resources
and
supports
to
increase
quality
and
safety
within
the
unlicensed
Child
Care
sector.
As
many
of
you
already
know,
Children's
Services
has
been
given
a
mandate
to
help
Alberta
parents
by
ensuring
more
transparency
and
accountability
for
licensed
day
homes
and
I.
I
I
Continuing
to
encourage
our
private
day
homes
to
consider
the
benefits
of
becoming
licensed
providers
and
as
The
Honorable
member
mentioned
a
number
of
those
day.
Home
operators
have
in
fact
utilized
the
option
to
do
so,
which
ultimately
would
allow
them
to
offer
reduced
fees
to
parents,
participate
in
training
and
receive
wage
pop-ups
to
help
support
with
their
Workforce
I.
I
Think
that
it's
an
incredibly
important
thing
to
to
highlight
it
and
note
the
member
asked
about
whether
or
not
families
are
notified
when
it
comes
to
issuing
a
stop
order
and
families
whose
children
are
receiving
child
care
and
unlicensed
facilities
when
a
stop
order
is
issued,
are
in
fact
informed,
and
it
is
posted
online.
For
for
those
who
are
interested
in
in
finding
out
the
details,
we
certainly
do
make
sure.
I
Okay,
my
apologies,
I
I,
want
to
correct
that.
By
saying
that
we
do,
we
do
inform.
We
do
inform
parents
about
any
stopwatchers
that
are
issued
and
I
I
do
want
to
highlight
the
effectiveness
of
of
that
program
in
in
addressing
the
concerns
and
needs
that
parents
May
raise
by
intervening
immediately.
Children's
Services
takes
any
complaint
very
seriously
and
investigates
it
as
quickly
as
possible.
H
H
Objective
2.1
of
the
business
plan
is
provide
targeted,
supports
for
youth
to
successfully
transition
from
government
care
into
adulthood
and
build
on
available
Support
Services,
mentorship
educational
attainment
and
employment
Readiness.
So
three
parts
to
this
question:
how
much
funding
is
allocated
to
the
advancing
Futures
program
in
this
budget?
How
many
students
will
that
serve
and
how
do
eligible
students
apply
for
this
program
and
with
that
I'd
like
to
seed
my
time
to
MLA
Smith.
E
Mr
Minister
I
want
to
thank
you
for
the
work
that
you
do
on
behalf
of
our
our
provinces.
Children
I
have
a
couple
of
questions
that
I'd
like
you
to
consider
for
this
morning,
I'd
like
to
focus
in
on
key
objective
2.2
of
the
business
plan,
I'd
like
to
ask
a
few
questions
regarding
the
other
supports
that
are
available
to
Children
transitioning
out
of
government
care.
E
I
know
that
you
made
an
announcement
recently
and
I
believed
just
yesterday
on
the
transition
to
adult
Pro
adult
program
and
I
I
know
that
you've
told
us
that
there
are
about
28
million
dollars
over
the
next
three
years.
I
think
he
said
something
like
that,
and
maybe
you
could
give
us
a
few
more
details
on
that.
E
There's
something
1400
youth
in
the
program.
A
total
of
68
million
I
think
you
mentioned,
and
2.5
million
from
skills,
trades
and
professions
Ministry
to
support
people
that
are
pursuing
careers
and
I
love
the
the
line
that
you
said
it's
okay.
There
was
a
a
line
in
an
article
that
I
was
reading.
That
says
it's
okay
to
dream,
as
a
professional
as
a
professional
educator.
E
As
a
teacher,
I
really
believe
that
it
is
okay
to
dream
and
that's
one
of
the
things
we've
got
to
get
our
kids
to
do
and
as
these
kids
are
transitioning
out
of
into
the
adulthood
program
and
into
to
real
life
and
then
being
an
adult,
it's
okay
for
them
to
dream.
So
here's
a
couple
of
questions
that
I
have
for
you.
The
transition
to
adult
program
launched
last
January.
Can
the
minister
give
us
an
update
on
some
key
features
of
that
program
so
that
we
can
better
understand?
E
E
E
E
You
can't
do
that.
I
can't
do
that.
Okay,
then
I'm,
looking
forward
to
hearing
the
minister
and
if
you
could
could
actually
go
back
and
tell
us
a
little
bit
more
about
that
transition
to
adulthood
program
and
the
announcement
that
you
made
I
think
that
would
really
help
us
as
we
move
through
your
your
budget
estimates
here.
Thank
you.
I
What
the
members
saw
yesterday
Madam
chair
was
an
announcement
highlighting
The
increased
spending
in
this
particular
area,
as
it
relates
to
to
to
our
transition
programs
and
and
the
additional
supports
that
budget
2023
allocated
towards
increasing
the
the
the
the
funding
available
to
help
support
our
youth
and
government
care
as
a
transition
into
adulthood.
One.
F
I
You
know
your
their
youth
into
adulthood,
and
we
wanted
to
make
it
available
to
youth
in
government
care
as
well.
We
wanted
to
make
sure
that
the
supports
were
available
so
that
youth,
who
are
transitioning
from
government
care
into
adulthood,
have
the
resources
that
they
need
to
continue
to
flourish
and
Thrive
and
become
strong
members
and
productive
members
of
of
the
community
of
Alberta,
and
we
wanted
to
make
sure
that
they
have
every
resource
available
to
them
to
do
so.
I
I
I
am
pleased
to
report
that
this
is
an
approximately
three
million
dollar
increase
from
2022
to
2023,
and
it
is
intended
specifically
to
address
caseload
growth
related
to
high
demand
for
educational
Pathways
and
increase
in
post-secondary
educational
costs,
those
historically
being
tuition,
books
and
other
supplies.
The
historical
caseload
growth
of
over
10
percent
annually.
In
advancing
Futures
is
truly
promising
because
it
is
a
one-of-a-kind
program
in
this
country
and
it
allows
for
you
know
young
adults
transitioning
to
utilize
much
needed
funds
to
help
fund
their
their
post-secondary.
Education.
I
In
addition
to
the
five
and
a
half
million
that
Children's
Services
is
allocated
under
these
programs
to
help
support
increased
enrollment
in
skill
trades
in
this
province
for
Youth
and
government
care
and-
and
that
is
I-
think
a
a
truly
Landmark
announcement,
because
it
will
support
approximately
500
additional
young
adults
as
a
trend
as
they
continue
with
and
develop
their
their
post-secondary
and
and
skilled
trades
type,
training
and
education
and
I.
Think
you
know
it's
really
promising
to
to
continue
to
fund
this.
I
The
other
component
of
that
particular
announcement
that
The
Honorable
member
Smith
mentioned
was
the
allocation
of
approximately
a
total
of
25.6
million
dollars
from
Children's
Services
over
the
course
of
three
years
to
help
fund
these.
The
this
Youth
and
transition
program-
and
that
is
sort
of
comprised
of
five
and
a
half
million
allocated
for
this
year-
eight
and
a
half
for
next
year
and
11.6
the
following
year,
thereafter
to
continue
to
support
and
meet
the
demands
of
the
tab
program
as
we
we
move
to.
It
was
a
24
25
25
26
years.
I
The
the
one
thing
that
I
want
to
end
with
as
I
note,
that
I'm
running
out
of
time
is
that
these
programs
have
demonstrated
incredible
results.
There
is
increased
label,
labor
market
participation,
increased
employability
and
higher
earnings,
improved
time
management,
financial
literacy
and
other
life
skills.
J
Thank
you,
Madam,
chair
to
the
minister,
I
just
want
to
go
back
to
the
questions
that
we
were
talking
about
before
in
the
last
block
Can,
the
minister
confirm
I
might
have
misheard
the
minister,
so
it
I
believe
he
said
that
4741
non-profit
spaces
were
created
last
year
and
3096
day.
Home
Spaces
were
created
were
any
of
those
day,
Home
Spaces
non-profit
spaces,
or
are
they
for-profit?
J
What
I'm
asking
for
the
minister
to
confirm
is
last
year
and
under
the
Canada
Alberta
elcc
agreement,
Alberta
has
a
commitment
of
creating
was
supposed
to
have
created,
10
000,
new
non-profit
spaces
in
the
2022
fiscal
year
did
Alberta,
indeed
create
10
000
new
non-profit
spaces.
In
the
2022
fiscal
year,
I'm
gonna
move
and
I'm
gonna.
Ask
the
minister
to
go
back.
I
had
a
number
of
questions
around
stop
orders
and
whether
how
many
individuals
actually
asked
for
background
information
on
stop
orders
for
unlicensed
providers
last
year,
non-compliances
and
exemptions
to
licensing.
J
If
the
minister
can
go
back
and
respond
to
those
questions
in
writing.
If
need
be,
I
want
to
move
back
to
child
intervention.
The
minister
will
be
aware
that
child's
intervention
agencies,
who,
let's
be
clear,
they
serve
children
who
are
the
responsibility
of
government.
They
are
in
the
care
of
government.
These
agencies
provide
supports
to
kinship
homes,
foster
homes,
children,
youth,
transitioning
out
of
care.
They
provide
us
a
variety
of
supports
and
they
are
delivering
services
to
the
children
that
are
responsibility
of
the
government.
You
have
heard
the
request.
J
I
know
Minister
from
these
organizations
who
have
been
asking
for
an
increase
in
their
contracts
as
well
as
through
the
minister
through
the
chair.
The
minister
would
be
aware
that
they've
asked
for
a
contract
increases
to
reflect
the
ongoing
Services
they
provide,
but
all
also
to
address
cost
of
living
increases.
I
understand
that
the
minister
has
provided
a
one-time
three
percent
increase
that
must
be
expended
before
the
end
of
the
fiscal
year.
That
does
not
address
the
ongoing
challenges.
J
So
is
there
any
money
planned
within
budget
2023
to
increase
the
contract
amounts
to
child
intervention
agencies
along
that
line
for
the
devastating
numbers
of
Children
and
Youth
in
care
who
have
passed
away
in
2022?
Can
the
minister
indicate
how
many
of
those
young
people
were
being
served
in
foster
homes
or
kinship
homes
that
were
governed
by
agencies
and
how
many
of
those
deaths
occurred
for
Children
and
Youth
that
were
under
direct
service
provision
and
Care
by
the
ministry?
Just
a
breakdown
if
possible?
J
Please
I
also
would
like
the
minister
to
go
back
to
a
question
that
I
answered
I
asked
earlier
around
family
enhancement
agreements
and
how
many
family
enhancement
agreements
have
been
entered
into
in
the
2022
fiscal
year.
How
many
the
ministry
plans
to
enter
into
in
the
2023
fiscal
year?
This
is
critical,
of
course,
because
family
enhancement,
Agreements
are
about
early
intervention.
It's
about
ensuring
that
families
stay
together
and
receive
supports
in
the
home,
and
children
don't
have
to
be
apprehended
but
can
actually
stay
with
their
families,
which
is
really
should
be
everybody's
top
priority.
J
So
I'm
wondering
if
the
minister
can
advise
on
that.
I
also
want
to
ask
the
minister
to
go
back
to
answer
the
questions
around
the
qualifications
of
child
intervention
staff,
where
essentially,
we've
been
hearing
that
the
qualifications
have
been
lowered
and
that
Frontline
caseworkers
are
being
hired
at
an
hsw3
level,
and
these
are
now
perhaps
how
these
positions
are
being
filled
and
further
to
the
information
that
we
received
about
the
vacancy
rate
within
Children's,
Services
and
child
intervention.
J
The
minister
indicated
that
we
were
that
the
ministry
was
hiring
something
like
94
and
perhaps
it
was
97
staff
per
month.
I'm.
Sorry,
if
I
got
that
number,
not
quite
right.
That
suggests
to
me
an
incredibly
High
turnover
rate
I
appreciate
we
have
vacancies,
but
what
is
the
what
is
happening
or
what
has
not
been
addressed,
I
suppose
within
the
ministry
that
that
turnover
rate
is
so
high,
and
is
that
why
the
minister
is
looking
to
lower
the
qualifications
for
Frontline
caseworker
staff?
J
I
would
have
once
again
I
realize
I'm
conscious
on
time
that
we're
going
to
be
running
out
of
time.
I
also
wanted
to
know.
If
there's
any.
The
minister
mentioned
that
there's
a
review
going
on
of
kinship
support
payments
for
in
2023.
That
has
been
something
that
has
been
mentioned
for
multiple
years
by
former
Ministers
of
children's
services.
But
yet
nothing
has
been
implemented.
I
Thank
you
very
much
Madam
chair
and
thank
you
to
The
Honorable
member
once
again
for
for
those
questions,
the
the
initial
question
was
about
not-for-profit
spaces,
and
what
I'd
like
to
do
is
provide
that
to
you
subsequently
in
writing,
because
there
is
a
little
bit
of
a
there.
There
is
the
inclusion
of
the
we'll
provide
we'll
provide
that
to
you
in
writing
so
that
it
provides
a
complete
pay
picture
of
how
many
spaces
were
created
in
that
in
that
area.
I
They
have
raised
concerns
about
some
of
the
financial
challenges
that
some
of
their
members
have
have
been
experiencing,
and
a
lot
of
that
has
been
attributable
to
some
of
the
cost
of
living
increases
that
we
have
seen
almost
across
the
board
in
almost
universally
throughout
the
country
and
indeed
the
globe.
We
know
that
we're
in
a
an
affordability
crisis-
and
we've
done
you
know
a
number
of
things
in
in
this
ministry
and
elsewhere
as
well,
to
help
address
those
issues.
I
The
work
that
we
have
done
in
in
respect
to
some
of
the
concerns
that
we've
heard
specifically
from
a
line,
but
indeed
from
other
organizations
as
well,
is
that
the
the
expenditures
that
they're
incurring
as
of
this
year
are
exceeding
a
lot
of
what
they
normally
would
have
been
able
to
to
to
afford
in
within
from
within
their
agencies.
And
so
what
we've
done
is
through.
Through
that
consultation
and
engagement.
We
have
committed
to
providing
child
intervention
contracted
agencies
with
a
one-time,
immediate
payment
of
three
percent
and
such
funding.
L
I
In
in
terms
of
the
the
question
relating
to
kinship
support
payments,
last
year,
we
introduced
a
900
benefit
for
each
kinship
home
and
we
are
reviewing
rates
to
better
paid
to
kinship
and
foster
care
and
I.
Can
I
can
tell
the
member
that
we
are
developing
policies,
including
a
number
of
reports
to
kinship
and
Foster
families
that
would
like
to
help
address
some
of
these
needs
and
and
I'm
hopeful
that
we'll
be
able
to
announce
that
very
quickly
I.
F
Thank
you,
minister.
Children
services
has
changed
its
Workforce
model
in
that
all
new
staff
are
hired
as
hsw3s
as
a
entry-level
child
intervention
practitioner
and
in
their
first
year
of
work.
We
work
with
them
to
develop
their
competencies,
ensure
that
they
get
all
of
the
training
required
and
at
the
end
of
the
year,
if
they've
met
the
established
competencies,
they
are
promoted
to
an
hsw-5
and
from
there
they
can
of
course
take
advantage
of
opportunities
to
be
promoted
to
an
hsw,
six
or
seven
or
if
they
wish
to
go
into
management.
G
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
Mr
for
the
work
that
you
do
in
this
very
important
Ministry
for
the
people
who
can't
speak
for
themselves,
so
it's
so
so
important
and
people
who
support
you
in
your
business,
mystery
people
beside
and
behind
you
their
value.
Their
work
is
valued
and
appreciated.
So
just
a
couple
of
comments
before
I
get
to
my
questions
here
we
talked
earlier
about
adoption
and
I
know
that
in
some
cultures
or
faiths
there
may
be
an
alternative
to
adoption
like
guardianship
doobie.
G
Is
there
a
provision
here
to
accept
that
as
equivalent
to
to
adoption
and
also
I,
see
the
budget
line?
Child
intervention
keep
increasing,
which
is
good
thing,
but
I'm
also
interested
to
see
whether
we
are
training
people
who
go
actually
so
social
workers
will
go
and
intervene.
They
are
appropriately
trained
culturally
to
to
make
sure
that
children
get
the
best
out
of
this
intervention,
and
if
you
have
time
at
the
end,
you
can
also
talk
about
this
ten
dollar
daycare.
G
When
we
talk
about
10
day
care,
what
does
it
mean
for
an
average
person
viewing
us
here
today?
What
does
that
really
mean
for
them?
In
terms
of
that
I
know?
We
we
use
a
lot
of
things
here
very
easily,
but
people
don't
quite
get
that,
but
going
to
talking
about
a
child
care
spaces,
access
to
Safe,
affordable
and
quality
Child
Care
is
so
important
for
not
only
families
but
for
the
economy
as
well.
G
Key
objective
1.1
in
the
business
plan
is
to
increase
access
to
child
care
through
initiatives
that
support,
affordable,
quality,
safe
and
inclusive
programs,
enabling
parents
to
participate
in
and
support
Alberta's
economies.
Economic
recovery.
Can
you
please
update
us
on
how
many
new
children,
sorry
Child
Care
spaces
have
been
created
under
the
debate
with
the
federal
government.
When
will
these
spaces
be
open
for
children
and
I
also
see
that
performance
metric?
One
point
one:
a
in
in
the
business
plan
measures.
G
These
changes
in
the
number
of
active,
licensed,
Child
Care
spaces,
see
that
your
target
for
20
23
24
budget
is
11
and
I
know
that
that
way
back
in
2021
2022
budget,
it
was
about.
Six
percent
are
viewed
on
track
to
meet
that
Target,
that
you
are
projecting,
Mr
and
or
the
unlicensed
day
homes
included
in
that
number
as
well.
G
Another
important
I
guess
area
is.
We
must
have
qualified
people
who
who
look
after
that?
You
know
our
children
and
that
comes
to
labor
shortage
and
having
appropriate
labor
a
trained
labor
to
to
do
that.
So
Child
Care
space
is
needed,
need
the
appropriate
number
of
trained
staff
in
order
to
operate
and
care
for
children.
These
are
lab.
There
are
labor
shortages
across
the
economy,
including
the
child
care
sector.
G
The
key
objective
1.2
of
the
business
plan
is
and
I
quote,
enhanced
quality
license
Child
Care
through
Workforce
Investments
that
strengthens
the
Recruitment
and
Retention
of
skilled
Early
Childhood
Educators,
and
support
their
capacity
to
deliver
quality
child
care.
So
in
view
of
that,
I
have
a
couple
of
questions.
What
is
the
total
investment
into
sporting
the
workforce
in
this
budget?
Are
there
any
efforts
to
recruit
more
workers
into
Child
Care
sector?
G
What
investment
is
made
into
the
retention
of
workers
already
in
this
in
this
video
I
also
see
that
on
page
26,
the
business
plan,
the
line
item
that
child
care
is
increasing
by
about
two
hundred
thousand
dollars,
and
this
envelope
is
actually
getting
bigger
and
bigger
in
the
future
years
as
well.
So
is
the
increase
we
are
seeing
this
year
from
provincial
funding,
or
is
the
increase
in
funding
from
the
federal
government
under
the
early
trial,
Early,
Learning
and
child
care
agreement?
G
I
You
know,
adoption
is
is
one
of
those
areas
that
certainly
fits
for
some
families,
but
there
are
alternatives
as
well
to
that
and
I
think
it's
important
to
to
highlight
some
of
those
while,
while
we're
here
today,
one
of
those
alternatives
to
actual
adoption
is
a
Guardianship
and
we
do
have
self-directed
guardianship
programs
in
this
province
as
well.
Well
as
through
private
guardianship
orders
as
well.
I
In
addition
to
that,
the
government
of
Alberta
through
the
ministry
of
children's
services
has
embarked
upon
a
province-wide
recruitment
strategy
to
help
attract
foster
parents
to
to
to
to
and
to
sort
of
inform
albertans
about
the
rewarding
benefits
of
becoming
a
foster
parent
and
and
with
the
hopes
that
we
can
attract
an
additional
number
to
help
alleviate
some
of
the
pressures
that
we're
having
in
that
area.
As
well
and
I.
Think
that
that
has
been
a
tremendously
successful
campaign.
I
I
We
have
Grant
programs
to
Target
diverse
populations,
including
launching
pilot
programs,
to
promote
entry
into
the
child
care
field.
We
are
launching
a
recruitment
campaign
asking
Alberta
albertans
to
consider
a
future
career
in
the
child
care
sector.
As
an
ECE,
we
have
been
working
very
closely
with
the
ministry
of
advanced
education
to
improve
access
and
successful
completion
and
increase
spaces
for
available
ECE
programs
in
post-secondary
education.
And
finally,
we
are
modernizing
level.
One
ECE
orientation
course
content
to
include
new
modules
for
out-of-school,
Care
and
Family
Day
homes.
I
The
member
asked
about
the
the
number
of
spaces
that
we
have
seen
created
recently
in
relation
to
to
child
care,
spaces
and
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
today
we
have
under
the
agreement
created
over
11
000,
new
child
care
spaces
and
and
we'll
continue
to
do
so
as
we
move
forward
and
Achieve
our
Target
goals
of
getting
to
the
15
a
day.
Child
Care
fees
for
this
year.
J
Thank
you.
This
is
my
last
block,
so
I
just
want
to
really
quickly
pick
up
I'm
a
little
baffled
by
why
the
minister
is
not
able
to
provide
how
many
of
the
10
000
new
non-profit
spaces
that
were
actually
created.
The
minutes
are
just
repeated:
11
000
new
child
care
spaces.
The
minister
just
indicated
11
000
new
child
care
spaces
were
created
and
seems
to
know
that
number,
but
doesn't
seem
to
know
how
many
of
them
are
non-profits
I'm
a
little
confused
as
to
why
that
isn't
clear.
J
I
think
we
could
just
minus
the
32
private
spaces
and
I
guess
perhaps
that's
how
many
non-profit
spaces
were
created.
I
would
really
ask
the
minister
to
go
back
to
those
questions
that
I
asked
about
stop
orders
how
many
times
they
were
accessed
non-compliances
and
exemptions.
Questions
please
table
that
information.
Minister
I
think
it's
pretty
critically
important
to
the
safety
of
child
care.
J
On
the
question
of
the
hiring
of
child
intervention
staff,
we
have
heard
the
the
government
announced
a
number
of
new
spaces
and
post-secondary
for
nurses
and
various
other
roles
and
early
childhood
Educators.
But
we've
just
heard
that
the
ministry
has
had
to
lower
the
qualifications
for
Frontline
caseworker
staff
and
yet
I'm
not
hearing
where
the
commitment
is
creating
more
post-secondary
spaces
around
for
registered
social
workers.
J
Last
really,
the
last
big
question
I
wanted
to
ask.
Was
you
know
the
child
youth
Advocate
has
come
before,
and
we've
been
through
a
process
over
the
last
year
of
looking
at
the
recommendations
that
the
child
and
youth
Advocate
has
made,
and
it's
been
through
a
lot
of
pulling
teeth
and
dragging
the
government.
To
the
point
of
saying,
we
need
to
have
Ministries
come
forward
and
answer
questions
about
their
responses
to
the
recommendations
from
the
child
and
youth
Advocate.
J
Eventually,
we
finally
got
the
UCP
degree
to
do
that
after
three
years
of
asking-
and
you
know
what
we
discovered
through
that
process
was
that
very
much
the
Ministries
are
guiding
their
responses
to
the
child
and
youth
Advocates
recommendations.
By
simply
saying
at
some
point,
they're
not
going
to
answer
questions
anymore
or
provide
any
more
updates,
because
they
believe
that
the
recommendations
made
by
the
office
of
the
child
advocate
have
been
met,
even
if
the
child
youth
Advocate
doesn't
agree
and
that
they
will
simply
just
say
we're
not
going
to
provide
any
more
updates.
J
And
so
the
advocate
has
no
choice
but
to
just
say:
okay,
then
I
guess
I'm
going
to
close
this.
We
heard
a
fulsome
discussion
about
that
at
another
committee
that
some
of
the
members
here
were
part
of,
and
that
discussion
was
around.
Perhaps
the
ministry
and
the
of
children's
services
needs
to
review
and
amend
the
child
and
youth
Advocate
act
to
allow
for
the
determination
of
whether
recommendation
has
been
made
to
be
made
by
the
child
Advocate,
not
the
Ministries
receiving
the
recommendation.
J
J
I
would
like
to
end
by
saying
this
is
my
last
opportunity,
this
legislature
to
sit
as
a
Critic
for
children
of
services
and
budget
estimates.
I
appreciate
the
forthcoming
nature
of
the
the
current
Minister.
Unfortunately,
there
is
very
light
on
details
on
a
lot
of
the
questions,
a
lot
of
talking
points,
and
there
are
some
very
significant
questions
about
the
work
that
I
believe
this
ministry
is
doing
to
support,
Children
and
Youth
and
care,
and
also
to
with
a
full
commitment
to
implementing,
affordable
and
quality
Child
Care.
J
The
track
record
of
this
government
on
both
of
those
pieces
is
is
not
very
strong
and
I
do
certainly
hope
that
albertans
get
more
transparency
and
more
commitment
to
supporting
Children
and
Youth
vulnerable
in
all
children
and
families
going
forward
and
I
believe
that
that
will
happen
with
a
change
of
government.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I
Much
Madam
chair
and
I'm
not
sure
why
the
honorable
member
has
baffled
we've
been
forthcoming
in
saying
that
we
will
provide
those
details
as
it
relates
to
the
number
of
spaces
and
the
not-for-profit
realm
created.
Certainly,
we
will
we'd
be
happy
to
provide
that
to
her
and
I've
said
that
and
I'll
say
it
once
more,
that
our
department
will
be
in
touch
with
the
details
shortly.
I
I'm
tremendously
proud
of
of
the
work
that
the
Children's
Services
Department
staff
have
been
doing,
in
particular
when
it
comes
to
addressing
urgent
and
Urgent
needs
of
our
children
in
this
province,
and
I
will
continue
to
Advocate
and
defend
on
their
behalf,
because
I
think
that
the
work
they
do
is
tremendously
valued
and
important.
I'd,
also
like
to
you
know,
shift
the
the
discussion
a
little
bit
with
respect
to
the
members
comments
about
lowering
the
qualifications.
You
know
I
again
another
dismal
approach,
as
it
relates
to
the
hard-working
staff
in
child
intervention.
I
And
so
we
we
prefer
to
I
would
prefer
to
focus
on
what
we're
doing
to
help
recruit
and
retain
those
valuable
staff
members
and
allow
them
to
grow
within
the
department
as
well
and
simply
criticizing
them
for
not
having
qualifications
or
lower
qualifications
does
not
comprise
the
attitude
or
or
the
views
of
this
government.
We
believe
that
Children's
Services
Workforce
models
are
working
well
to
attract,
recruit
and
retain
and
support
child
intervention.
I
Employees
and
the
emphasis
has
been
placed
on
a
greater
Focus
to
support
the
career
growth
and
advancement,
as
well
as
competency,
development
for
these
valued
employees.
And
what
we've
done
essentially
is
the
work
on
behalf
of
caseworkers
has
been
streamlined
into
two
job
categories,
and
that
is
broken
down
as
child
intervention
and
caregiver
supports.
I
I
I
think
that
this
approach
is
important
because
it
supports
the
equitable
distribution
of
workloads
among
staff
and
operational
efficiency,
but
it
also
allows
the
system
to
adapt
to
surges
in
workload
in
different
parts
of
the
system.
It
enhances
the
stability
in
the
system
and
gives
employees
valuable
learning
opportunities
as
well
to
grow
within
the
department
and
within
the
ministry
and
to
help
retain
and
develop
those
employees
as
best
as
possible.
I
So
I
think
that
that's
the
the
you
know
the
there's
a
market
difference
in
the
view
between
what
this
government
believes
are
are
valued
members
of
the
Children's
Services
child
intervention
department
and
what
the
honorable
member
keeps
focusing
on
the
you
know,
I'm
in
relation
to
the
child
and
youth
Advocate
recommendations.
I
I'm
also
very
pleased
to
report
to
this
committee
that
there
have
been
a
number
of
recommendations
made
and
since
2013,
the
office
of
the
child
and
youth
Advocate
has
issued
107
recommendations
to
Children's
Services
and
101
of
those
have
been
fully
implemented.
I
The
those
five
recommendations
that
are
remaining
and
outstanding
are
being
actively
implemented,
and
we
are
proud
of
the
tremendous
work
that
we
have
done
to
date
in
response
to
The
Advocates
advice.
I'd
also
note
that
there
is
ongoing
work
and
collaboration
between
the
office
of
the
child
and
youth
Advocate
and
the
department
of
children's
services,
and
that
is
something
that
I
want
to
highlight
to
committee
members
as
well.
I
C
Thank
you
so
much
chair
and
Minister.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
all
your
hard
work
and
time
that
you've
been
there
I've
I've
experienced
nothing
but
a
ministry.
That's
been
able
to
provide
me
a
lot
of
information
on
a
lot
of
difficult
cases
from
my
region
and
I
really
want
to
thank
you
and
your
entire
team
for
everything
that
they
do.
It
is
an
extremely
difficult
file
and
it's
very
complex
and
certainly
I've,
been
able
to
understand
a
lot
more.
The
nuances
of
some
things
that
your
ministry
has
to
manage.
C
If
they're
in
my
two
terms,
if
there's
any
Ministry
that
has
demonstrated
that
they
are
as
non-partisan
as
it
comes,
and
that
they're
hard
work
reflects
the
fact
that
they
are
dealing
with
children
who
are
the
most
vulnerable
and
all
the
hard
work
they
do.
That's
and
all
the
things
that
they
have
to
deal
with
it
is
the
ministry
of
children's
services.
C
If
we
could
again
touch
on
First,
Nations
and
metis
peoples
on
page
24
of
the
business
plan
under
key
objective
2.2
under
outcome,
2.
I
see
you've
committed
to
working
with
First,
Nations
and
government
of
Canada
the
government
of
Canada
to
implement
an
act
that
respects
First,
Nations,
Inuit,
May
teach,
children,
youth
and
Families.
C
I
know
you've
touched
on
this
previously
a
little
bit,
but
I
just
want
you
to
expand
on
what
you
what
the
ministry
is
doing
to
ensure
that
the
government
supports
how
the
government
supports
this
transition.
As
an
example,
many
First
Nations
have
approached
the
Alberta
Government
with
the
intent
to
take
responsibility
over
Youth
and
Family
Services
on
reserves,
I'm
wondering
if
we
can
understand
a
little
bit
more
about
that.
Please.
B
I
This
is
a
Ministry
that
must
maintain
the
well-being
of
children,
regardless
of
what
side
of
the
political
Spectrum
you
lay
on,
and
that's
why
I've
always
had
an
open
door
policy
for
all
members,
including
members
of
the
opposition,
to
come
to
my
office
at
any
point
in
time
and
and
discuss
important
and
relevant
issues.
I'd
also
like
to
commend
the
incredibly
hard
work
that
my
office
staff
and
the
department
staff
do
day
in
and
day
out
as
well,
because
without
them
you
know
we
would
be
in
a
very,
very
dire
situation.
I
To
your
question,
we
have
had
a
number
of
First
Nations
approach,
the
provinces
and
the
federal
government
to
with
their
intent
to
take
over
responsibility
over
Child
and
Family
Services,
and
the
way
they
do
that
is,
they
provide
a
notice
of
intent
which
signals
a
future
request
for
agreements
from
within.
They
maybe
submit
a
request
for
a
coordination
agreement
which
signals
their
Readiness
to
begin
developing
a
trilateral
coordination
agreement.
Since
the
ACT
came
into
Force.
You
know
on
January
1st
of
2020.
I
Alberta
has
received
five
requests
for
trilateral
coordination
agreements
representing
seven
First
Nations
in
Alberta.
We
have
also
received
four
additional
notices
from
First
Nations
in
Alberta
of
their
intention
to
exercise
their
legislative
Authority
in
relation
to
Child
and
Family
Services,
and
will
continue
to
remain
committed
and
ready
to
assist
in
any
way
with
those
transitions.
Thank
you
all.
B
Thank
you
so
much
Minister
I
apologize
for
the
interruption,
but
I
must
advise
the
committee
that
the
time
allotted
for
consideration
of
the
ministry's
estimates
has
concluded.
This
concludes
the
consideration
of
the
2023-24
main
estimates
by
the
standing
committee
on
families
and
communities.
Thank
you.
Everyone.
This
meeting
is
adjourned.
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
L
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A
A
A
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A
A
A
K
K
Hello
and
welcome
to
the
Alberta
legislature's
online
tour.
My
name
is
Matt
and
I'm,
one
of
the
historical
interpreters.
That's
going
to
show
you
around
now
to
start
the
tour,
we're
going
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
history
of
the
legislature
grounds
themselves.
Now,
strangely
enough,
this
spot
by
the
North
Saskatchewan
River
has
actually
been
used
for
thousands
and
thousands
of
years
as
a
place
of
democracy
and
celebrations.
You
see
way
before
Europeans
ever
stepped
foot
in
this
land.
It
was
used
by
many
different
First
Nations.
K
In
fact,
the
nahiawak
had
a
word
for
this
stretch
of
land
that
they
called
pejon,
which
roughly
means
a
place
to
gather
or
a
meeting
place,
and
when
they
would
meet
here
they
would
hold
marriage
ceremonies.
They
would
have
annual
celebrations
like
sun
dances,
they
would
discuss
politics
and
they
would
trade
with
one
another.
K
Now,
speaking
of
trade,
eventually,
when
the
fur
trade
would
move
this
far
west,
the
Hudson's
Bay
Company
would
establish
their
Fifth
and
final
rendition
of
Fort
Edmonton
in
a
spot,
just
south
of
where
the
legislature
building
sits
today
and
in
its
Heyday
Fort
Edmonton
was
a
hub
of
trade
between
the
European
fur
Traders
and
the
First
Nations
and
metis
peoples.
In
fact
the
nahiwa
came
here.
So
often
they
had
a
word
to
refer
to
Fort
Edmonton,
and
that
was
amiscochi
waska
Hagen,
which
roughly
means
Beaver,
Hills
house.
K
It
belonged
to
the
Northwest
Territories
of
Canada,
and
only
after
years
and
years
of
campaign
for
prophethood,
that
the
federal
government
finally
Grant
the
request
and
on
September
1st
1905,
the
provinces
of
Saskatchewan
and
Alberta,
were
formed
now
in
Alberta's
case.
They
needed
a
capital
city.
So,
a
few
years
later,
in
1907
they
started
construction
of
the
legislature.
Building
in
1912
they
officially
opened
the
building
and
ever
since
then,
this
spot
has
been
the
center
of
provincial
democracy
here
in
Alberta.
K
Hello
and
welcome
inside
the
Alberta
legislature
now,
when
you
visit
the
legislature
as
a
guest,
the
first
thing
that
you're
going
to
do
is
walk
through
our
security
and
when
you
do
you'll,
look
up
and
you'll
see
the
statue
of
this
lovely
woman
right
here
now.
This
is
Princess
Louise,
Caroline
Alberta
and
she
is
who
our
province
is
named
after.
She
was
the
fourth
daughter
of
Queen
Victoria
and
a
member
of
the
British
royal
family.
Now
Louise
wasn't
your
typical
Royal.
In
fact,
in
those
days
she
was
known
as
a
bit
of
a
rebel.
K
She
believed
in
women's
rights
and
shared
her
opinions
publicly
becoming
a
bit
of
an
activist.
She
also
rebelled
against
the
Royal
Norm
when
it
came
time
for
her
to
pick
a
husband
for
Royal
standards,
it
was
expected
that
she
would
marry
a
prince
or
someone
else
with
Royal
Blood,
although
none
of
the
suitors
at
the
time
really
met
her
standards
for
a
match.
So
she
married
a
man
named
John
Douglas,
Sutherland,
Campbell,
The
Marquis
of
Lauren.
K
He
wasn't
a
commoner
by
any
means,
but
he
definitely
wasn't
someone
who
would
be
suitable
to
marry
a
princess
like
her,
so
to
help
Elevate
his
status.
He
was
given
the
title
of
governor
general
of
Canada
and
he
served
with
that
title
from
1878
until
1883.,
while
John
Douglas
was
governor
general.
He
helped
name
parts
of
this
country.
In
fact
he
came
to
this
part
of
the
country,
saw
the
Rocky.