The Department of Social Development’s 2023-24 budget has increased by $166 million.

The department’s budget increased from $1.467 billion to $1.633 billion. It includes another increase to wages for special care homes and home care workers, as well as the first operating cost increase for home support agencies since 2012.

Wages for those working in the care sector will increase by up to $2.50 an hour, while funding to home support agencies will increase by $2.50 per hour. The budget also contains increased social assistance rates, indexed to reflect annual increases to the cost of living.

Investments from the department include $44.9 million to increase wages for personal support workers in home support and special care homes, $13.4 million to fund an increase in social assistance rates of 7.3 per cent under the Transitional Assistance Program and the Extended Benefits Program, benefitting about 26,000 households, and $12.6 million to support the work outlined in the 2018-2023 Nursing Home Plan, which includes adding to the supply of nursing home beds in the province.