Parents in BC are the biggest spring break spenders in Canada

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Parents of school-aged kids across the province are rearranging regular schedules for the next two weeks, trying to keep little hands and minds occupied during March break. And it’s costing them big bucks.

A survey from BDO Canada finds moms and dads in British Columbia spend the most in Canada on activities to keep children entertained while school is out.

“Our study shows parents are planning to spend an average of about $600 nationally this particular spring break, but in BC it’s $913,” says Donna Mihalcheon, Senior Vice President of BDO Canada. “Why is that? We found that BC is really about the only province with a two-week spring break. Quebec does somewhat as well, but the rest are all about one week,” she explains.

The survey also found almost half (49 per cent) of respondents were willing to spend whatever it takes to keep their children entertained — and for one-in-five Canadians, that could mean taking on debt.

Mihalcheon suggests parents take advantage of more free or nearly free activities during spring break.

“If you don’t have the money, you can’t afford to spend it and you haven’t budgeted for it, in my opinion that’s what you would want to be doing. I’m not a believer in paying for stuff on credit that you can’t afford,” she tells NEWS 1130. “Go swimming, go for a hike, take the kids snowshoeing, or maybe have kids over for a sleep-over. There are lots of old-fashioned things you can do that we all did as kids that really don’t require a lot of spending.”

Parents in Alberta are the second highest spring break spenders in Canada, planning to drop $756, followed by Ontario ($594), the Atlantic

Provinces ($552) and Quebec ($423). The most prudent parents are in Saskatchewan and Manitoba; they plan to spend $384, far less than the national average of $597.

While the average for spending in BC was very high, the survey found a majority of respondents (69 per cent) are planning to do free or social activities, but more than a third feel obligated to spend money during March break.

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