The United Conservative Party (UCP) government in Alberta intends to significantly increase its support for adoptive parents through a new bill introduced last Friday.

The bill includes increased grants and tax credits for parents as well as medical coverage for some adopted children. The cost of these measures is $12 million over three years.

Alberta will also grant $6,000 to families with an annual income of less than $180,000 who resort to private adoption agencies in the province.

The province will also increase the tax credit for local and international adoption expenses by about four thousand dollars, from $14,365 to $18,210. This will thus equalize the federal tax credit, which is also $18,210 in 2023.

Adoption of children assigned to the Alberta government will be free, whereas private adoption in Canada costs between $11,000 and $15,000, depending on the province.

For international adoptions, the costs usually amount to tens of thousands of dollars.

The Alberta government will also support dental care, vision testing, medications, and other medical care for locally adopted children until they reach the age of 18. Currently, about 25 of them are waiting for families to adopt them.

Alberta will be the first Canadian province to cover this medical care for locally adopted children. Provincial authorities say this acts as an incentive for local adoption and better meets the health needs of children in government care, which are more complex needs.