The 2008 Manitoba Budget Address

Healthy Children

Healthy Child Manitoba co-ordinates the establishment of a province-wide network of programs to give kids a better start in life, including prenatal and early childhood development programs, healthy schools initiatives, and strategies for healthy adolescence. With The Healthy Child Manitoba Act, we have ensured that permanent structures are in place to continue to help children and families reach their full potential.

Child care is vitally important to Manitoba families. Our government has funded approximately 7,000 more child-care spaces since 1999 – an increase of 46%. New investments have improved training and salaries for existing staff and helped train more early childhood educators.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that Budget 2008 adds another $5 million in new funding to improve access to quality child care in Manitoba, bringing the total increase in child-care funding since 1999 to more than $60 million. This will ensure more children benefit from licensed child care by:

• funding more spaces, including additional nursery school spaces;
  
  
• establishing a new training and recruitment fund; and
  
  
• following through on our commitment to increase salaries for early childhood educators.

Details of our longer-term plan for child care will be announced by the Minister of Family Services and Housing.

Safety for all children is a shared obligation that our government takes very seriously and is taking strong action to address. In the fall of 2006, our government began an overhaul of the child welfare system, committing more than $48 million under Changes for Children to implement the recommendations of reviews undertaken by independent officers of the Legislature. We have taken action on the recommendations, including:

• hiring 90 new staff toward our commitment to add 150 new positions;
  
  
• increasing rates for foster parents by 23%;
  
  
• recruiting 900 new foster home beds; and
  
  
• focussing more on prevention and early intervention.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that Budget 2008 provides $23.1 million to continue making the changes needed to better protect the interests of Manitoba children.

Our strategy to prevent child sexual exploitation was officially launched in 2002. Since then, several new initiatives have been implemented in partnership with community organizations including:

• the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre safe home;
  
  
• Ndinawe’s child and youth care worker training program; and
  
  
• Ka Ni Kanichihk’s specialized foster care program.

We will launch phase two of the strategy based on recommendations arising from recent summits with community service providers. Today’s budget provides resources to support the next steps in protecting Manitobans of all ages from sexual exploitation.

Budget 2008 provides new resources to help young adults affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder to access housing, education and training, recreation, crisis services, family connections and mentoring.

Budget 2008 provides additional support for children’s therapy services. The Children’s Special Services budget will increase by 6% to $23.7 million to provide effective physical therapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy among other services.