Manitoba’s three private, not-for-profit adoption agencies will be allowed to increase their fees for the first time in 11 years, Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced.
“We want to ensure the ongoing viability of these important agencies so they can continue to connect children with loving families,” said Mackintosh. “Over the years, the process of adoption has become increasingly labour intensive and these new fees reflect that additional effort.”
The change will help ensure timely processing and intensive professional support for families looking to adopt children privately and from other countries, he said.
The total fees that can be charged will increase from $5,500 to $8,500 for private adoptions and from $5,800 to $8,800 for inter-country adoptions. Manitoba will still have the lowest fees in Canada and the changes will not affect families who are already in the process of adopting with these agencies, said Mackintosh. Private adoption agencies in other provinces have fees ranging from $10,000 in Alberta to $14,000 in Ontario.
“We thank the province for adjusting the fees and supporting the agencies in recognizing the need for fee adjustment. Our financial positions were increasingly threatened and this allows appropriate funding to support families and to provide adoption facilitation services for Manitobans,” said Roberta Galbraith, executive director of Canadian Advocates for the Adoption of Children, speaking on behalf of Adoption Options Manitoba, UAS Eastern European Adoption and Canadian Advocates for the Adoption of Children.
Since 1999, there have been 488 private adoptions arranged through the three agencies.
