The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC have just released a new community toolkit to help people speak up for a universal child care solution in BC.  This is timely as it will help to deliver the Coalition’s message to the NDP’s Raising BC Tour that is happening across the province right now.

From the Raising BC website:

The New Democrat Official Opposition understands that providing B.C. families with access to quality, affordable child care is crucial for the health and wellbeing of our children, our economy, and our communities.

That’s why we’re talking with parents across the province to build practical solutions to the child care crisis.

Here are the key components of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC toolkit.

Backgrounder sheets on a universal child care system for BC:
–  Achievable
–  Accountable
–  Affordable
PLUS — Child Care is good business!

Just released from the Advisor on Healthy Children & Youth to the Minister of Health (Federal).  This reports reveals some alarming findings with respect to the health and wellness of Canadian children and youth.

K. Kellie Leitch MD, MBA, FRCS (C)
Chair/Chief, Division of Paediatric Surgery
Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
Email: kellie.leitch@lhsc.on.ca
Tel: 519.685.8500 ext 52132
Fax: 519.685.8038
Room E2-620D

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Minister:

As Canadians, we are very fortunate in so many ways. We have tremendous opportunities to reach our full potential in a free, welcoming, and ambitious country. For those of us who were born in this country, it has often been said that we are among the luckiest people in the world.

Yet, when it comes to providing the best possible health environments for our children and youth, we have the need – and the capability – to do better as a country.

During my consultations and work as your Advisor on Healthy Children and Youth, I had the opportunity to meet with over 750 people, and review more than 500 documents and reports. It was a tremendously rewarding experience and one that I shall always remember.

From this work, I have drawn three fundamental conclusions.

Firstly, that we are doing surprisingly poorly when compared to other OECD and countries in measures of the health and wellness of children and youth. Among 29 OECD nations:

• Canada ranks 22nd when it comes to preventable childhood injuries and deaths;
• Canada ranks 27th in childhood obesity; and,
• Canada ranks 21st in child well-being, including mental health.

Secondly, that in today’s increasingly competitive global economy, we must invest in the health and wellness of our children and youth in the same way that we invest in infrastructure or science and technology. Indeed, our children and youth are our future, and they are also fundamental to our nation’s economic success in an ever more competitive world.

Thirdly, that Canada has the potential – and the ability – to be the number one place in the world for a child to live and grow up, from a health perspective. Ours is a nation that has grown strong because of great goals and bold plans. While there is much work that needs to be done to help our young people to be healthier and to stay healthy, we can, should, and must be optimistic. To succeed, we must set benchmarks and measure results. To become the world’s best, we must measure ourselves against those who are the world’s best today.

With these conclusions in mind, this report makes five key recommendations. They are as follows:

1. Develop and implement a National Injury Prevention Strategy for children and youth;
2. Establish a Centre of Excellence on Childhood Obesity;
3. Improve Mental Health Services for Canadian children and youth;
4. Undertake a Longitudinal Cohort Study to provide data on the health of Canadian children and youth to help understand environmental factors impacting children’s health; and,
5. Establish a National Office of Child and Youth Health with a permanent Advisor.

I want to acknowledge and thank the Canadians who took the time to speak with me, and to share their views through our online survey. While I encountered many different perspectives and points of view, one thing united all of the people with whom I met: their passion and commitment to improving the health and wellness of children and youth in our country. That passion is an asset in and of itself.

Minister, there are 95 recommendations catalogued in the conclusion of my report. These should not be seen as a critique of what exists, but rather as opportunities to improve the health system, and to keep children and youth healthy and well.

I appreciate and acknowledge the latitude I have had in examining issues beyond the mandate of Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). That latitude has allowed for a more holistic approach to be taken, and I believe it will yield better outcomes for Canadian children.

It is my belief that these recommendations will help chart a better course for the federal government’s current and future programs related to the health and wellness of children and youth, and ultimately pay tremendous dividends through improved health outcomes.

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this very important and exciting work.

Sincerely,

Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, MD, MBA, FRCS(C)

Chair / Chief, Division of Paediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario
Assistant Dean (External)/Assistant Professor, Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery,
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario

Co-Director, Health Sector MBA, Richard Ivey School of Business,
University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario