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Alberta launches new consultations on disability safety standards

The consultations will begin in the new year, with the team's report expected by February.

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Alberta has launched a new round of consultations to develop safety standards for persons with developmental disabilities following an outcry from advocates over standards proposed by the former government.

Human Services Minister Irfan Sabir announced a nine-member consultation team of disability advocates to guide discussions about how to ensure the safety of people who receive funding through the province’s persons with developmental disabilities (PDD) program.

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“This team will work together with a view to address the concerns of persons with developmental disabilities regarding safety and the existing standards … and advise us on the course of action going forward,” Sabir said Friday at the legislature.

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The consultations will begin in the new year, with the team’s report expected by February.

The group is chaired by John te Linde, the former manager of social policy and planning for the City of Calgary. It will also include New Democrat MLA Marie Renaud, a former executive director of the Lo Se Ca Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with disabilities.

Other members of the advisory group include Ann Nicol of the Alberta Council of Disability Services; Bruce Uditsky of Inclusion Alberta; Cam Tait, a member of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities; Tammy Poirier and Jennifer Stewart of Disability Action Hall; and community advocate Michael Cooper.

The regulations will set standards for service providers with the PDD program related to safety and maintenance, medication assistance, water temperature, and compliance with various safety codes and by laws, among others.

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The former Progressive Conservative government drafted a new set of standards in 2013 that it said would enhance the safety of persons living with developmental disabilities in the community. They were to come into force on April 1; however, advocates said some of those standards put an undue burden on landlords who would have to shell out thousands for costly upgrades such as sprinkler systems and would therefore be less likely to rent to people with disabilities.

In September, Sabir extended the deadline for implementing the new housing standards to March 31 because of the concerns.

“Those are concerns I heard over the summer and that was the reason that we agreed to consult and look into those standards and address those concerns without compromising the safety of the individuals,” Sabir said.

mibrahim@edmontonjournal.com

twitter.com/mariamdena

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