Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The inaugural Anti-Racism Action Plan sets out measurable, practical actions government will take from 2026 until 2028 to remove barriers and improve access to services for Indigenous and racialized people in B.C. It covers government sectors, such as health care, public safety, education and climate response. The plan is partly informed by data collected under 2022’s Anti-Racism Data Act (ARDA) and addresses the Anti-Racism Act’s (2024) direction for government to take action to address systemic racism and improve equity in public services."

• Access the Provincial Anti-Racism Action Plan, 2026-2028

Excerpt: "Effective June 1, licensed child-care facilities must post on-site notices of high-risk, potentially criminal incidents reported at their programs. These notices will go up within one business day (or as soon as reasonably possible) after incidents are reported, in areas visible to parents. A notice will also be posted on alberta.ca with the program name and the date on which the incident was reported. Families whose children are involved in such incidents will continue to be notified directly by their respective child-care programs."

Excerpt: "The $8.5 billion Agreement marks a transformative step toward First Nations-led services that are compassionate and culturally grounded, strengthening families, supporting children, and advancing First Nations self-determination for generations to come. Its goal is clear: fewer First Nations children in care, fewer children entering care for the first time, and more families receiving the support they need before a crisis occurs. Representing over 130 First Nations and nearly a quarter of a million people—including more than 60,000 families—the Chiefs of Ontario, alongside Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s 49 northern communities and approximately 50,000 members, celebrated this historic milestone and the beginning of implementation."

Excerpt: "The funded projects will generate new evidence on what works for school food programs, helping improve their impact on children and families in Canada. These research partnerships will fill key gaps in data and knowledge related to health and well-being of children, especially those facing barriers, as well as program delivery and governance in different jurisdictions and contexts, including in accordance with the National School Food Policy. Selected projects collectively span a range of topic areas, research approaches and geographies—from specific communities or regions to projects with national scope. The National School Food Program (NSFP) is part of the Government of Canada's plan to lower costs for families. It helps 400,000 more children each year access nutritious food at school, while bringing parents more financial security in their household budgets."

Excerpt: "That is why this budget proposes to double the Nunavut Child Benefit, while also increasing it each year to help keep up with the rising cost of living. The budget also proposes a $4 million (or 2.9 times) increase in the Early Childhood Program Day Care contributions. This is direct support aimed at helping lower-income families manage rising costs. Because even modest assistance can make a real difference for families where every dollar matters."

Excerpt: "The Early Childhood Infrastructure Fund now has three distinct funding streams: the Major Projects Fund, the Minor Projects Fund, and the Developmental (Needs Assessment) Projects Fund. The new funding streams simplify the Early Childhood Infrastructure Fund application process and help create new licensed early learning and child care spaces. Funding priority will be given to communities with limited or non-existent early learning and child care programming."

Excerpt: "A new child-care centre in Halifax’s Bayers Lake Business Park will improve families’ access to care. The provincial and federal governments are providing almost $2 million to help the Silver Crescent Academy Society relocate and expand. The new centre will have up to 120 spaces, up from 71 at the current location in Rockingham."

Excerpt: "Almost 90,000 students have joined Alberta’s classrooms in just four years as record population growth continues to put pressure on schools, teachers and classroom learning environments. Growing class sizes and increasingly complex classrooms are making it harder for teachers to give students the support and attention they need to succeed. To help address these pressures, Alberta’s government is acting now by providing $200 million to schools through the new Class Size Reduction Grant. The funding will support the hiring of more than 1,400 teachers in grades K-9 to help reduce class sizes and improve classroom learning conditions in increasingly complex classrooms."

Access the Class Size Reduction Grant - 2026/27 school year allocations

Excerpt: "The Council of Yukon First Nations will receive $694,600 over two years (2025 to 2027), to renovate a commercial space in Whitehorse and create up to 14 Yukon First Nations-led, licensed early learning and child care spaces. The new child care program will offer a unique opportunity to expand the organization’s continuum of care for Yukon First Nations and Indigenous families. The Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon will receive $581,914 over two years (2025 to 2027), to renovate an existing space in Whitehorse and create up to 28 Francophone licensed early learning and child care spaces. This project supports an expansion of the Garderie du petit cheval blanc, a French first language child care program, to a second location in Takhini, in addition to its Copper Ridge location."

Excerpt: "Families in the Beaver Bank area of Halifax Regional Municipality will see more early learning and child-care spaces opening in their community later this year. It Takes a Village Daycare Society is opening a third location at 925 Windgate Dr. The new centre is expected to create up to 194 new child-care spaces for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children."

Excerpt: "School districts will have access to a new provincial investment to create before- and after-school child care spaces as early as fall 2026. The Ministry of Infrastructure is providing $5 million in child care capital funding to support renovations and the repurposing of existing space in school buildings to create new child care spaces. This program is the first of its kind, building on the Province’s work to look at innovative ways of creating spaces more efficiently. Successful applicants will be eligible to access additional funding through the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support opening these spaces, including $20 million to support operating costs for new child care programs over the next three years."

Excerpt: "The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is taking action to strengthen supports for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 (JK-12) students following a comprehensive review of inclusive schooling. Inclusive schooling means ensuring each student can learn and succeed, with supports that reflect their individual needs. Between 2024 and 2026, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) reviewed how inclusive schooling is working across the NWT. The review confirmed what families and educators have been telling us: student needs are becoming more complex, while schools have increasingly relied on short-term federal funding that is not stable or predictable. The review made 11 recommendations to improve how supports are delivered. The GNWT has accepted all 11 and is moving forward with implementation."