BC Family Residence Program Tightens Rules

0:00The BC Family Residence Program run by the charity Variety to help families of sick kids with travel lodging just got tighter rules. Now it's only for households earning $80,000 or less a year and coverage drops to 21 days per medical visit down from 30. This comes after the province backed off similar restrictions last summer following backlash. But with funding stuck at $1.9 million annually Variety had to make these changes to manage costs. Families like Victoria mom Bex Hoskins feel the squeeze hard. Over seven years she's taken her nine-year-old son Simon to Vancouver for treatments on a rare metabolic disorder saving more than $15,000 in hotel stays. Without the full support they'd face early fairies and $500 a night rooms. Rural health advocates and opposition politicians say this hits vulnerable kids needing specialized lower mainland care the worst. Non-profits are bracing for more requests as fewer qualify while the government insists it's not a cut but a tweak to keep services going.

1:05Pressures building again for better funding decisions, especially with hotel prices spiking ahead of big events like the World Cup. Families shouldn't have to choose between care and crushing costs. Local news powered by AI. This has been Cooper News today.