Alberta budget proposes $4 million to cut costs for adoptive families

Jenna Hoff and her husband Eric have adopted four children from government care.

The province is proposing a $4-million investment in subsidies, tax breaks and benefits for adoptive parents in Alberta as the number of approved families is the lowest in decades.

Mickey Amery, children’s services minister, said his government has heard from advocates and parents that adoption is financially out of reach for many families, and the process is inefficient and too complicated.

“Through Budget 2023, we are limiting expenses and unnecessary burdens so that more Albertans will be able to experience the joy and the happiness of being a parent, and more children will receive the lifelong love and support of a family who treasures them,” Amery said during a news conference Wednesday in Edmonton.

The budget proposal includes a $6,000 payment to parents earning less than $180,000 to subsidize the cost of private adoption,  and an increase of nearly $4,000, totalling $18,210 for an expense tax credit. The province will also cover dental, vision and other supplementary health benefits for all children adopted in Alberta.

Amery said his department has also cut red tape in ways such as reducing the time it takes to complete a government home study by a month and a half.

27 children waiting for placement

According to the government, the approval of adoptive families for children in government care has dropped from 100 to 30 at any given time – the lowest number in decades.

Twenty-seven children in the government system are currently waiting to be placed in a permanent home. Most of these children are over the age of seven, have special needs or are part of a sibling group.

“We understand that medical expenses can be very stressful for a lot of families, especially when the children they’ve chosen to adopt have complex medical needs,” Amery said.

Jenna Hoff, who adopted four children from government care, said the investment will allow more families to adopt within Alberta.

“The benefit of adopting children from within Alberta is that it made it easier to keep small and big connections for our adopted children, like keeping their same school and family doctor and staying in touch with their birth families, communities and culture,” said Hoff, who spoke at the news conference.

Searle Turton, MLA for Spruce Grove-Stony Plain, was behind the private members bill to streamline the adoption process.

After years trying to adopt in Alberta, he and his wife went the international route.

“We discovered first-hand the many challenges that families can face, whether in the government system or through a private agency,” Turton said.

“There were a lot of parents out there longing to welcome a child into their homes, parents who desperately wanted to simply grow their families but simply cannot afford it, or are worried about the complexity and uncertainty of the process.”

Turton said he’s relieved to see the enhanced medical coverage and hopes it will set an example for the rest of Canada.

Since Alberta’s latest budget, Erica Moore, domestic program supervisor of Adoption Options, said her agency has heard from many prospective parents who were previously unsure if they could afford to adopt.

“The supports you announced today will have direct and positive implications for prospective adoptive parents, birth parents and their children in Alberta,” Moore said. These changes are something we have long been hoping for, so today is truly a day to celebrate.”