Your newspaper recently reported concerns from some about the Ontario Government's Temporary Care Assistance program, a program meant to assist adult caregivers, including grandparents, who take on the task of raising children in an emergency situation for a temporary period of time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the grandparents who take responsibility for their vulnerable grandchildren. The McGuinty government will continue to support Ontario’s grandparents and children that need our help the most.

Contrary to what has been reported, rules under this program have not changed. I can also assure all those receiving Temporary Care Assistance that we are continuing to increase our investment in the program. Our government has invested $12.8 million this year for Temporary Care Assistance, up almost 14 per cent from the year before, and we are increasing funding by another two per cent this December. The Conservative and NDP parties voted against these increases to a valuable program which currently supports approximately 5,200 children. While Temporary Care Assistance is a short term program, if a grandparent assumes permanent custody, they may qualify for longer term support such as the Ontario Child Benefit.

Whether it is for the short term or the long term, our government helps grandparents in difficult financial situation by offering a large range of programs to support their needs. I encourage grandparents most in need to seek out any assistance being offered: talk to local community officials to learn more about what programs might be available.

Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services