Honourable Jodie Wickens
Minister of Children and Family Development
MCFD.Minister@gov.bc.ca
June 24, 2026
Dear Minister,
I’m writing to you with concerns about the implementation of your Ministry’s changes to services for Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN) and the new BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit and ask that your ministry immediately clarify the details of the new CYSN system.
First, I want to thank you for your efforts to meet with constituents from Saanich North and the Islands and West Vancouver – Sea to Sky. I also want to acknowledge that your stated intent with these changes is to increase the amount of families that can receive supports – an intention I support. The significant increase in funding for children and youth with disabilities has the potential to be life-changing for families and if implemented well, could lead to a stronger British Columbia for all. The exclusion of children with non-autism disabilities from direct funding has been an injustice for decades, and we are encouraged to see supports extended to those who’ve been underserved and underfunded for too long. New and expanded community resources will also improve the lives of families who have the means to access them.
While these changes appear well-intended, I have heard from families all over the province that their implementation will make life harder for many children and youth with disabilities. All British Columbians deserve certainty from their government, and certainty is especially important for children who have challenges with change, and for whom a pause or change to services will have significant impacts. Instead of accusing parents and advocacy groups of fearmongering, as you have done in media interviews and in Question Period, I ask that your ministry immediately clarify the details of the new CYSN system.
Qualification Threshold
In a June 10th letter sent to families currently receiving Autism Funding, your ministry wrote “The Disability Benefit is intended for children and youth who are likely to require intensive and sustained supports across their lifespan.” Alongside advocacy groups like the BC Disability Collaborative, the BC Greens believe these criteria establish an unreasonably
high threshold, and contradict your Ministry’s own Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan, released last week, with a focus on holistic, efficient, wrap-around services.
Transparent Communication
Over the last few months, the BC Greens have helped connect affected families with Ministry staff, after their concerns have failed to be addressed by Ministry publications, service centre, email or call centre staff. While we are happy to provide this service and sincerely appreciate the Ministry’s collaboration, if the Ministry’s internal and external communications were clear, this level of intervention would not be necessary. The growing confusion and worry from families and service providers is evidence that the roll-out of the Ministry’s new system is not working.
Community Based Services
Hub-based services may improve supports for some families but must not be expected to replace existing resources. Group services are not effective support for many people with disabilities and may be particularly disruptive for families transitioning from existing, tailored, and/or one-on-one supports. Families in rural or remote communities may live
hours from the nearest hub and/or face transportation challenges, and hub-based services have a chronic history of long waitlists, high staff turnover, and significant overhead costs.
Before making changes to disability supports, the BC Greens are calling on
the Government to do the following:
- Meaningfully engage with representatives from the disability community, families, and
service providers to co-design an equitable and effective funding framework; - Transparently communicate the criteria for fund allocation, well before changes are
implemented; - Guarantee that no child with existing coverage will receive less support;
- Pause implementation if any of the above has not yet been achieved.
British Columbians deserve a social safety net that proactively supports people of all abilities, not one that waits to react to only the most severe crises. Governments should consider implementation and unintended consequences in service design and should decide service plans based on evidence and community sustainability, not short-sighted austerity and financial strain.
I hope to hear your plan to address these concerns as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Rob Botterell, MLA
Saanich North and the Islands