On April 28, British Columbia and Alberta signed the British Columbia – Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) at the 4th annual joint British Columbia – Alberta Cabinet meeting in Edmonton.

British Columbia and Alberta businesses and workers will enjoy new market access. This innovative agreement gives businesses and workers in both provinces seamless access to a larger range of opportunities across all sectors including energy, transportation, labour mobility, business registration, and government procurement.

Earlier this year I became very interested in what the impact of this agreement will be on Early Childhood Educators in both BC and Alberta.  I consulted the BC Ministry of Economic development to better understand if Early Childhood Educators would be included in the list of professions that are being covered by this agreement.  After some delays, I was recently advised that “Yes they will be added to the list”.  I actually think that this is a fascinating development for the child care field in Canada and that it will have major implications regarding the mobilty of workers between our two Provinces.  Surprisingly though, it seems that very few people in the child care field seem to be aware of this interesting development.