Tuesday September 5, 2023 | DELTA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC Minister of Education and Child Care says that families are being assisted with the cost of living in a range of ways. But she does not see covering the cost of school supplies as one of those ways.
Education and Child Care Minister Rachna Singh made that comment in response to a question today from Island Social Trends during her media availability on this first day back to K-12 school for the 2023-2024 academic year. That aligns with the BC NDP’s ‘all of government’ approach.
Singh was speaking to media from Delta where she was emphasizing road safety for children. She was joined by Delta School District SD37 chair Val Windsor.
Singh said that the Feeding Futures food program (which rolled out in April of this year), lowering child care costs for families, and a ‘range of initiatives’ to support families are the ways the BC government is helping families with school-age children.
An idea on the federal radar:
Last week federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said covering school supply costs through school districts was “an interesting idea”. Some provinces already do that.
Local parents:
Parents of families locally and across BC often have school supplies still in their homes long after the kids have left school and graduated. This is one area that families can save money, by not overbuying (though following a teacher’s list or school list).
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke has been covering BC education news since 2014, in particular on south Vancouver Island.