Single mother caught in the middle of the ongoing BCGEU strike

A single mother who relies on the Affordable Child Care Benefit has been caught in the middle of escalating job action with the BCGEU.

Mishayla Vandenhuvel is studying at UBC while she raises her four-year-old son, Marshall.

Vandenhuvel relies on the Affordable Child Care Benefit to make ends meet. However, due to the escalating job action, the money she relies on is still two weeks late.

She says she was told that direct deposit payments wouldn’t be affected by the BCGEU strike.

“I went into the month with that expectation,” she said. “Now this is going into the second part of the month, and I still haven’t received my money for this month.”

The province confirms strike action is causing delays in some B.C. childcare programs, particularly for mailed cheques, but maintains that electronic payments shouldn’t be significantly impacted.

Still, Vandenhuvel says the uncertainty is taking a toll.

“I feel as though I and my family and my friends are being held hostage at the will of the government and those that are striking.”

With bills piling up and no clear timeline for payment, she’s already bracing for a leaner Christmas.

“It’s not only affecting me financially now, but it may potentially affect me financially further down the line.”

The province is urging families to check the ChildCareBC website for updates. But that’s little comfort for parents like Vandenhuvel.

“The unknown is the worst part here,” she said.

“What we do next, I don’t know.”