A hot lunch program scheduled to begin inside every New Brunswick school next week will be delayed for some. Claire Johnson, minister of education and early childhood development, confirmed the program’s delay for some schools ahead of the first day of school on Tuesday. “The vast majority of schools are ready to start next week,” said Johnson. “We’re working really, really hard at finding solutions for the ones that are running into challenges.” Johnson said the delays are largely due to kitchen renovations that are still ongoing in some schools, although didn’t answer the question of how many schools are affected. The department said a full list of affected schools would be made public on Friday. Johnson said bagged lunches would be provided in schools where the hot lunch program was delayed. A timeline wasn’t provided for when all schools would be included in the program. Johnson said other jurisdictions had advised the province that its initial plans to begin the program last year at every school was “very ambitious.” “Like any big project there are last minute unexpected challenges,” said Johnson. “And that’s happening in a few schools in the province.” The province is spending $26 million on the program for the 2026-2027 school year, after testing it at 25 schools as a pilot for the 2025-26 school year. In the program, families will pay $4 per meal for students in kindergarten to Grade 8, and $5 per meal for Grades 9 to 12. The program will be subsidized for those unable to pay. With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Sean Mott For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
