Funding cuts, layoffs hit Hamilton CAS

Staff at the Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton are being laid off after the agency saw about $2 million in funding cut from this year’s budget; $4.7 million overall.

Executive director Dominic Verticchio told CHCH’s Square Off the group will stick to its mandate, but services will suffer. “We will not be able to provide the quality of services that this community is used to. And therefore, given that the bulk of the dollars are either for staffing or children and care I needed to look at the staffing.”

Hamilton Mountain MPP Monique Taylor says the province should take responsibility. “They owe it to the children and the families of this province to ensure that they’re getting it right.”

The CAS of Hamilton employs 375 full-time and part-time workers and has 621 children under its care.