Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe announced two child-based initiatives while in Prince Albert on Oct. 5. The first is restoring a previously cancelled tax credit and the second is an increase of 750 childcare spaces throughout the province.
鈥淔irst, I'm pleased to announce that a re-elected Saskatchewan party government will restart the Active Families Benefit. We know that one of the best ways to ensure families are strong and healthy is to encourage kids to get involved in sports, encourage our children to get involved in the arts, as well as other cultural activities that are available to us,鈥� Moe said.
He noted his own family and community have seen benefits from being involved in such activities.
鈥淭he Active Families Benefit will provide up to $150 for each child to help cover the costs of participating in sports, in arts or in cultural activities. For a child with a disability, that benefit will be $200 per year. This will be an income tested. To be eligible, a family must have an income of $60,000 or less. We think it makes sense to target the support to families who require it the most.
鈥淚f we are re-elected, the Active Families Benefit will be included in the 2021-2022 provincial budget. We expect more than 20,000 families will receive the benefit, at a cost of about $5.7 million a year.鈥�
The second initiative is new childcare spaces. Moe said, 鈥淎ccess to high quality childcare continues to be a challenge for some Saskatchewan parents we understand that. Since 2007, we have made significant investments to address just this challenge. We've increased the number of licensed childcare spaces in our province by 90 per cent, from 9196 spaces to 17,423 spaces. We need to do more. As we look ahead, our province continues to grow.
鈥淪o today I'm pleased to announce that a Saskatchewan Party government will add an additional 750 new licensed childcare spaces, over the course of the next four years. Two hundred thirty of these childcare spaces will be located in the new school so we are building.
鈥淭he other 520 new childcare spaces will be home-based care spaces. In our plan for growth, we committed to providing financial incentives to encourage the growth of home-based childcare. And we're going to do just that. Beginning in the 2022 budget, we will increase the one-time startup grant for new licensed, home-based childcare spaces by $500 per home. Meanwhile, the monthly nutrition grant for all licensed home-based childcare spaces will increase by a further $20 per month per space, from $60 to $80 per month. And the annual equipment grant that is provided to home based childcare spaces will double, going from $150 per year to $300.鈥�
鈥淲e know that affordable, accessible, high quality childcare is absolutely critical for our families,鈥� he said, adding that a growing Saskatchewan can build a stronger economy with strong families and strong communities.
