Parents promised child care money if teachers strike continues

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Parents in BC will get $40 per day for every child under 13 in the public school system if the education labour dispute continues in September.

Finance Minister Mike de Jong made the surprise announcement this morning, saying parents will be able to register to receive the money online, with that cash arriving in October. “Parents can utilize that money to acquire tutoring for their children, they can use the money to explore other educational opportunities as they see fit, and for some parents it will be basic daycare.”

“We have time here, we have five weeks, and that’s why I again emphasize, this is a contingency that we want people to know about as early as possible so that as we move through August, they can plan accordingly,” adds de Jong.

Nicole Makohoniuk with the BC Parent Advisory Councils says it will provide relief to parents. “It would cover quite a bit of their child care costs. This would be really good news for them — a very exciting prospect for them”

The BC Teachers Federation has yet to make an official response to this development, but a union staff member had no advanced warning from the BC government.

BC Teachers Federation not happy with the plan

The plan, according to BCTF president Jim Iker, only serves to extend the labour dispute rather than bring the sides closer to a deal.

“Why would they announce something, a month from now they’re going to be giving parents money for daycare, if their lockout continues? What we need is a negotiated deal now, and that’s what our hope is.”

Iker is still calling for a mediator to step in to accelerate talks and says this plan does nothing to deal with issues like class size and support for special needs children.

He says he continues to speak with Peter Cameron, the government’s chief negotiator.

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