Frontline association says new Manitoba foster parent funds not enough

For the first time in nearly 13 years, foster parents across Manitoba are receiving a raise.

On Tuesday, the province announced a 10 per cent increase to basic maintenance rates, through a nearly $3.6 million investment, and while many say the move is long overdue, it’s also receiving mixed reviews.

Beginning Oct. 1, daily rates, which go towards helping pay for basic needs like food and clothing, will increase to between $24.32 and $34.72 for children in care. 

Minister of Families Nahanni Fontaine said in a news release the change is because “Every child in Manitoba deserves to grow up with the support they need to thrive.”

However, for those parents on the frontlines, they say the 10 per cent raise is a drop in the bucket.

“When you are getting $22 a day, getting an extra $2.20 isn’t really going to cut it after a rate freeze of over 13 years,” said Jamie Pfau, president of the Manitoba Foster Parents’ Association.

She says even with the rate increase, the province is at risk of losing foster parents due to mounting financial pressures. 

“Foster parents are reaching out to me on a regular basis: ‘This is it for me’,” said Pfau of concerns she’s heard, with parents saying: “‘I cannot afford to go into any more debt to raise these kids. My home is going to close.’”

In over 100 submissions provided to CityNews from foster parents across the province, over 80 per cent of respondents highlighted the desperate need for more funding.

Foster parent Brittany Bannerman was left stunned by Tuesday’s announcement.

“Many foster parents went through the wringer yesterday with emotions,” she said.

For Bannerman, her greatest concern was over the gap between Manitoba’s basic rates, and the national average, which estimated in 2023 that it costs a middle-income family approximately $47 per day, to raise a child.  Bannerman is worried about the long-term effects this will have on the children.

“If the provincial government is going to continue to value them this way, how do they expect them to ever value themselves higher than that?” she asked.

The province said Tuesday that 80 per cent of children in care receive more than the minimum daily maintenance rate. But Pfau says the province’s numbers don’t match what she is hearing from her members and feels there’s a lack of communication between the government and foster parents.

“I haven’t heard of anybody being consulted on what foster parents need and what kind of basic maintenance they’d be looking for,” she said.

When asked about the concerns being raised by foster parents and how the province settled on the increase, a statement from Families Minister Fontaine said the government is answering a call that has gone unheard in the past.

“Our government increased supports for children across the province, no matter where they live. Before yesterday’s increase, rates had been frozen for 13 years and the previous government did not take action, despite repeated calls to do so. We made this change so whether you’re a foster parent or a kinship or customary caregiver, you will have more supports for the children you care for.”