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Care-antee – Even more reasons to like Westjet

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From Press Release this morning:

Airline sets a new Canadian standard in passenger care

	 CALGARY, April 21 /CNW/ - WestJet today introduced a comprehensive
"Care-antee", setting a new standard for service and value in the Canadian
airline industry.
	 "The WestJet Care-antee is a set of promises we vow to uphold in good
times and bad," said Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President, Guest Experience
and Marketing. "It's a very public commitment to our guests that we will
continue to deliver exceptional service and value, especially now when they
need it most."
	 "So many things are changing right now and people are uncertain about
what they can expect from the companies they deal with in their lives,"
continued Bob Cummings. "The WestJet Care-antee is about showing our guests in
a very real way that these are the things they can expect from their airline,
in good times and bad."

	 <<
	 Promises in the WestJet Care-antee include:

	 - We will not charge you to change or cancel your flight for 24 hours
	 after you book
	 - We will not charge you for call centre bookings
	 - We will not overbook your flight
	 - We will not charge you for two checked bags
	 - We will have the lowest, change, cancel and pre-reserved seating fees
	 in Canada
	 - We will accommodate you if your flight is delayed. Even if it's
	 Mother Nature's fault
	 - We will fly you in the youngest all-jet fleet in North America
	 - We will provide live seatback TV on our flights
	 - We will give you ample legroom and overhead bin space
	 - We will publish our on-time, lost baggage and cancellation rates
	 - We will always let you know how we're doing as a company
	 - We will offer free online check-in and seat selection 24 hours before
	 departure
	 - We will allow you to transfer your credit files to friends or family
	 for free
	 - We will give you free snacks and refreshments on your flight
	 - We will always include smiles and thank yous. Always
	 >>

	 "The ability to change or cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking
at no charge is something new," said Bob Cummings. "We want our guests to be
able to book with confidence, secure in the knowledge that if something comes
up or they change their mind within that first 24 hours, they can change or
cancel their flight and they'll get their money back, no questions asked."
	 For more information about the WestJet Care-antee, please visit
westjet.com

	 Small print

	 This is the spot where you normally find all the rules and conditions.
But let's face it; stuff happens and things change. What we can promise is
that we'll do our best and do it with a smile.

	 About WestJet

	 WestJet is Canada's leading high-value low-cost airline offering
scheduled service throughout its 55-city North American and Caribbean network.
Named one of Canada's most admired corporate cultures in 2005, 2006, 2007 and
2008, WestJet pioneered low-cost flying in Canada. WestJet offers increased
legroom, leather seats and live seatback television provided by Bell TV on its
modern fleet of 79 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. With future confirmed
deliveries for an additional 42 aircraft, bringing its fleet to 121 by 2013,
WestJet strives to be the number one choice for travellers.

Liberal’s (BC) Platform – Child Care

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From the BC Liberal Website

Child Care
  • We are providing child care
    subsidies for low-income families and investing in new child care
    spaces so that all parents have more options for affordable, quality
    child care.
  • Minister of State for Child Care Linda Reid talks about the importance of supporting families with child care subsidies.
  • We spend $300 million a year on child care, up from $212 million in 2000/01, an increase of 42 per cent.
  • This
    is in addition to exploring the feasibility and costs of providing full
    day kindergarten for five-year-olds and four-year-olds by 2010, and
    3-year olds by 2012.
  • Budget 2009 increases the child care
    subsidy budget by $25 million over three years helping more lower and
    middle-income families.

Spaces & Capital

  • We’ve
    increased the number of new and existing licensed child care spaces
    supported by our child care operating funding from 45,000 in 2001 to
    over 90,000 today.
  • We’ve created 6,500 new spaces – more
    than 3,000 in the last two years alone – and we support over 4,700
    licensed facilities. 
  • We’ve invested over $35 million since 2001 in capital funding, with nearly $7 million invested in First Nations communities.
  • In Budget 2007, we provided $12.5 million for capital funding that has resulted or will result in:
    • Over 2,200 new licensed spaces by 2010 (surpassing the 2000 space goal).
    • Over 100 projects in 58 communities.
    • 68
      group child care centres & 43 family child care centres, of which
      10 will create or expand neighbourhood hubs, bringing the total number
      of hubs to 32.
  • We partnered with BC Housing
    to create more than 200 child care spaces in existing or planned social
    housing developments, eliminating some of the barriers to child care,
    employment and schooling for vulnerable families.

Operating Costs

  • Our
    child care operating budget is $64 million for 2008/09, funding more
    than 90,000 licensed spaces – 6,000 more than in 2001.
  • We’ve
    invested $40 million since 2007 in quality enhancement grants for all
    licensed child care providers who receive operating subsidies. 
  • We’re
    making an annual investment of $57 million in Supported Child
    Development, which provides consultation and support for 9000 children
    with special needs and their families to allow their inclusion in child
    care settings – an increase of 35 per cent since 2005/06.

Subsidy

  • We
    provide $150 million provincial dollars annually in child care
    subsidies that benefit almost 50,000 children and 37,000 families.
  • We
    increased the income threshold for applying for subsidy from $21,000 to
    $38,000 for families with children under the age of six.
  • We increased the out of school care subsidy for children aged 6-12, benefiting over 13,000 children and 10,000 families.
  • We
    increased subsidy rates for kindergarten children in 2005, and then
    kept those rates in place despite the cancellation of the federal Early
    Learning & Child Care Program in 2006.

Recruitment and retention of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs)

  • We launched a loan assistance program providing up to $2,500 toward new graduates outstanding B.C. student loans.
  • We also launched an incentive grant program providing up to $5000 for ECEs to return to the sector.