Scott Moe made the announcement at the Alfred Jenkins Field House. (Twitter/Scott Moe)

By Alison Sandstrom

Promises

Moe promises to restart Active Families Benefit and 750 new childcare spaces

Oct 5, 2020 | 1:19 PM

Scott Moe has pledged to restart the Active Families Benefit and add 750 additional childcare spaces over the next four year. Moe made the announcement at a campaign stop Monday at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.

The Active Families Benefit aims to make children’s sports, arts and cultural activities more affordable by providing $150 per year per child. Families who have a child with a disability would receive $200 per year per child.

Only families making less than $60,000 per year would be eligible to receive the benefit.

“We expect more than $20,000 families will receive the benefit at a cost of about $5.7 million per year,” Moe said.

Moe also promised to create 750 new childcare spaces over four years if re-elected.

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“We know that access to childcare is a challenge for many Saskatchewan parents,” he said. “That’s why we have worked to increase the number of licensed childcare spaces by nearly 90 per cent, from 9,196 spaces in 2007 to 17,423 spaces in 2020, but we need to do more as we look ahead.”

Moe said 230 spaces will be located in new schools being built over the next four years, the remainder will be home-based.

Increased financial supports for home-based childcare were also part of the announcement. The one-time start-up grant for new licensed home-based childcare spaces will increase by $500 per home. The annual equipment grant will increase by $150 to $300 and the monthly nutrition grant will go up by $20 to $80 per month.

Meanwhile in a media release, the Saskatchewan NDP criticized the Sask. Party for reannouncing the Active Families Benefit after they cut it in 2016.

“Scott Moe and the Sask. Party are so obsessed with cuts, they cannot make an announcement without one,” the release said in part.

“What Scott Moe doesn’t understand is that when you take a dollar from someone, they aren’t going to thank you when you give them a nickel back.”

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow