Alberta AG reports cite child care overpayments, millions in ineligible pandemic payments
Alberta's auditor general has found that parents may have overpaid for child care due to a lack of provincial oversight of its subsidy program, and, that a pandemic assistance program for small businesses may have distributed more than $155 million to ineligible applicants.
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Auditor General Doug Wylie separately released on Thursday a performance audit of the Child Care Subsidy and Grants Program, and an assessment of how the province had implemented its Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant Program.
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The child care audit reported on how $1.1 billion in public funding was managed within the program during 2023-2024.
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The audit found that the department didn't consistently ensure claims from operators were supported or that funding from subsidies and grants were used to reduce parents fees and pay educators.
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'There is a risk of overpayment by the department and a risk that parents are overpaying for child care and educators are being under compensated,' Wylie stated in a news release.
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'Albertans should have confidence that these funds are achieving the program's purpose — to reduce child care costs for families and support educators.'
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Fourteen of 25 operators sampled in a single month had at least one discrepancy, and three had more significant issues including one instance where an overstated claim led to an overpayment by the department of more than $26,000 for that month.
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Wylie also noted the program had been administered by three different ministries in as many years, leading to 'significant delays' in completing his report.
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Postmedia has sought comment from the office of Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
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In a statement, Opposition children and family services critic Diana Batten accused the government of short-changing parents and also noted the province's April cancellation of its income-tested subsidy that some parents say has sent child care costs skyrocketing.
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'Smith and her uncaring government have delivered a double hit to parents struggling to afford child care, making it even more expensive. It's a failure to live up to their responsibility, improper management of public funds, and it's just cruel.'
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Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors According the the June 2025 Labour Force Survey, Alberta's employment rate increased by 1.2 per cent in June, with a net gain of 30,000 jobs. It marked the second increase in three months for the province, representing 2,594,100 employed Albertans. The province's unemployment rate fell by 0.6 percentage points to 6.8 per cent in June. Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University in Montreal, said Alberta is a 'strength in Canada' and is an indication that more people are viewing the province as a desirable place to move to. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. 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