A New West resident has knocked on her local MLA's door in an effort to bring attention to how the teacher's strike is affecting families of children with special needs.
Anne Bélanger has an eight-year-old son who requires the support of an education assistant at school. She visited New West MLA Judy Darcy in a panic earlier this week after receiving a letter, informing her the Ministry for Children and Family Development will discontinue provisions to care for kids needing a little extra help, if schools continue to remain closed.
On top of the $600 for full-time childcare, Bélanger will now have to cover the additional $3,200 that was supplemented by the province.
"I'm now looking at paying $4,000 a month out of my own pocket. It's unacceptable that my family has to suffer because my son won't be in school this fall getting the support he needs," she said.
Bélanger admitted she'd have to dip into her savings to help pay the bill.
"Gone are my RSPs and anything I put away," she said. "I can't quit my job and there's no way I can afford $12,000 over three months."
Bélanger is also upset about receiving the letter so late in the summer.
"They sent it out for Aug. 1 but I was on vacation and didn't actually open it until a couple weeks later," she said.
"That's a very short amount of time to come up with answers for a child who has very complex needs," Darcy said. "It's also shocking because the costs were covered during the nine-day strike in June."
After listening to Bélanger's concerns, Darcy started making phone calls in hopes of finding an answer. "We followed the chain all the way up, first talking to the agency that informed her. Then we went to the Ministry of Children and Family Development. However, we have yet to receive a call back from the minister," Darcy added.
Between 150 and 200 parents in the New West and Tri-Cities area are expected to be in a similar situation to Bélanger.
