Policy & Positions Manual
Provincial Issues - Education
Advancing Literacy (2009)
In today's rapidly changing world, a solid literacy foundation, both for individuals and for our society, is more important than ever before. Yet according to a study released by Statistics Canada, 2 out of 5 Canadians over the age of 16 do not have the literacy skills they need to meet the demands of today's information-based society. (1) A recent study shows that 48% of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 65 are below acceptable literacy levels. This is a national issue and demands national attention.
The economic and social benefits to be gained from improving literacy are huge. A study by the Deputy Chief Economists for the Toronto Dominion Bank shows that a 1% increase in literacy will have an economic payoff to Canada to close to $80 billion. (2) Also, literacy is key to addressing many of our most pressing social issues: contributing to better outcomes for children; lower healthcare costs; less poverty; safer communities; greater civic participation; greater equity for Aboriginal peoples; smoother integration of newcomers; and more.
Despite the potential benefits, only a small percentage of Canadians who need help are getting the supports and training they need. Across the country, literacy organizations have been trying to address our literacy challenges with too few resources, and without the benefit of a coordinated national vision and strategy. Literacy is too important to our nation not to have national leadership, vision, and a comprehensive Canadian literacy strategy. The School Districts have been working under the Ministry of Education orders for the past two years to produce District Literacy Plans. These plans were prepared in conjunction with the Community Literacy Planning process.
Currently, there are few government funded programs that literacy organizations can access. Many government Federal and Provincial programs do not specifically address literacy issues and thus literacy related organizations are often left struggling to find funding for literacy initiatives.
Government also needs to increase funding for Community Literacy planning initiatives. This is a community driven process that has been funded by Legacies 2010 for the past three years. All organizations and agencies dealing with literacy have worked with the School Districts to produce these plans. In Fort St John, Legacies 2010 has provided $95,000 in funding to develop and implement the literacy plan. However, this funding is not long term and is in jeopardy after 2009. Currently the level of support for these plans is low, which leaves local community literacy planning at a bare bones level.
The Chamber Recommends
That the Provincial Government
- in conjunction with major stakeholders, create a provincial literacy champion to ensure that the provincial goal of having the highest literacy levels in Canada are met;
- call for a comprehensive British Columbia literacy strategy with the resources necessary to make a difference; and
- increase funding levels to community literacy initiatives to ensure long term sustainability for these plans.
Footnotes
1 - Dr. Satya Brink, Director National Learning Policy Research, Learning Policy Directorate, HRSDC, June 2006. |
2 - Craig Alexander, Deputy Chief Economist, Toronto Dominion Bank in 2007 |
