Ideas, News and Views for Child Care Workers in British Columbia
I will be taking the holidays off and won’t be making regular postings through January 3. I just got back from working in Baltimore with the United Workers. There I was lucky enough to get snowed in, and have over 30 cm. of snow in a day. Now I will be visiting family for the rest of the holiday season. Happy holidays and happy new year!
Public Eye reports on criticisms of the recent B.C. section of Canada’s report on the rights of the child to the United Nations, under the Convention of the Rights of the Child reporting requirements:
Last year, a leading advocacy group warned the federal government that British Columbia had introduced legislation “weakening child labour protections.” But a recent Canadian submission to the United Nations included the regulatory change accompanying that legislation in a list of measures protecting children from economic exploitation.First Call included the warning in a July 2008 briefing requested by the federal government’s heritage department. The briefing was meant to inform that submission, which reported on Canada’s progress in meeting international child rights laws between 1998 and 2007.
“We realize the following list focus on identified shortcomings and concerns, as these were the matters that were top of mind for our partners, many of whom work with populations of vulnerable and disadvantage children and youth” wrote First Call, which represents more than 90 non-governmental organizations.
“We want to acknowledge at the outest that we understand there are many areas where Canada and individual provinces have made good progress in upholding children’s rights oh through policy and practice during the reporting period, and we fully expect these advances will be detailed in Canada’s report. read more
The University of Western Ontario reports in an unpublished study that sharing paid and unpaid work at home results in more satisfaction than other models. News release is below, or download the research brief [PDF].
A new study published by The University of Western Ontario reveals that couples who share the responsibility for paid and unpaid work report higher average measures of happiness and life satisfaction than those in other family models.The ‘shared roles’ category, where each partner’s unpaid work is within 40-60 per cent of the total unpaid work, is a growing category that now represents more than 25 per cent of respondents. Couples are more likely to be in a shared roles model when women have more resources and when the couple is less religious.
The ‘complementary-traditional family’ model – with men doing more paid work and women doing more unpaid work – is declining, but remains the largest category. read more
The Vancouver Sun reports on announced changes to policies and regulations for live-in domestic workers on work visas. The changes fall short of providing permanent resident status for Canada’s migrant and immigrant domestic workers:
The federal government announced Saturday proposed regulations it says will better protect the rights of live-in caregivers and make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residency in Canada.
But some members of the Filipino community — who make up the majority of live-in caregivers — say the changes won’t go far enough to fix the discrimination and abuse caregivers face at work.
The proposed changes fall under the Live-in Caregiver Program, a federal body designed to regulate immigrants who provide care in private homes for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. read more
From the the Vancouver Courier:
Childcare spaces for middle school children are in short supply in Vancouver, with spaces most lacking in the Renfrew-Collingwood and Kensington-Cedar Cottage neighbourhoods, says a recent study by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland United Way.
The two-part study looked at childcare availability and its effect on kids between the ages of six and 12 years old in Vancouver. Both agencies want to develop new childcare programs in the city. read more
According to Public Eye the Aboriginal Advisory Elders Council has been disbanded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development:
In 2006, the ministry of children and family development established an aboriginal advisory elders council to provide insight into indigenous cultures and traditions. But Public Eye has learned the council has now been disbanded, with its last meeting taking place earlier this week. read more
Public Eye reports that information about B.C.’s human rights record was not included in Canada’s submission to the United Nations on the status of children’s rights in the country, as part of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:
A Canadian submission to the United Nations omits key information in its reporting on measures taken to protect child rights in British Columbia, according to the province’s independent children and youth representative. Under international law, the submission – which covers the period from 1998 to 2007 – is supposed to indicate any “factor or difficulties” affecting a country’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. But, in response to an interview request from Public Eye, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said its section on British Columbia “misses the biggest things or doesn’t frame the issues in quite the way I think they need to be framed.” read more
Vancouver Sun’s Report Card blog looks into specifics of funding promises for B.C. full-day kindergarten funding:
The B.C. government has promised $151 million over two years to pay for full-day kindergarten ($44 million for partial implementation in 2010-11 and $107 million for full implementation in 2011-12). It insists that will fully cover the costs of making kindergarten available to all five-year-olds. But how much of that money is intended for public schools and how much will be given to independent schools?
Policy Note, today:
BC Stats put out a release on poverty lines as they relate to BC, with an important finding: BC’s dubious position as having the highest poverty rates in Canada may in fact be worse than the statistics show. This finding is buried in the piece and the title, “Low Income Cut-Offs a Poor Measure of Poverty”, does not give much of a hint.
News on 123 Busy Beavers, a chain of corporation-controlled daycare in Canada with connections to the Austrialian-based ABC Learning (which controls a chain of over 700 daycare centres):
A listed cashbox is financing the $C14 million buyout of an 11-centre Canadian childcare operation with links to ABC Learning. Montreal-based investment cashbox San Anton Capital, which is listed in Canada, is teaming up with Edleun Inc to acquire the assets of operator 123 Busy Beavers. Busy Beavers used an ABC educational program and had former ABC staff. It was created via the Brisbane-based 123 Group, which had many contracting ties to ABC.
The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care has been following the entry of 123 Busy Beavers into Canada. Here’s some background information from their website:
