Skip to content

Disability review consultation makes local stop

A public forum to collect public opinion on revisions to Alberta safety standards for people living with developmental disabilities made its first stop on a provincial tour at the Westlock Inn, Feb. 24.
PDD Safety Consultation Team chair John te Linde chats about disability safety regulations with Westlock Independence Network executive director Greg Morris at the Westlock
PDD Safety Consultation Team chair John te Linde chats about disability safety regulations with Westlock Independence Network executive director Greg Morris at the Westlock Inn on Feb. 24. Westlock was the first destination on an eight-stop, province-wide tour to gather public opinion on recent changes to PDD legislation.

A public forum to collect public opinion on revisions to Alberta safety standards for people living with developmental disabilities made its first stop on a provincial tour at the Westlock Inn, Feb. 24.

Led by an eight-member team comprised of government representatives and disability advocates, the consultations are designed to help more properly align Alberta’s PDD Safety Standards Regulation with public need.

Consultation team member and St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud said the review will also help legislation better reflect regional requirements. While safety standards are provincial, they do interact with municipal building bylaws to create different effects and requirements.

“It’s become very clear, very quickly, even just in Westlock that there are huge differences between rural communities and urban communities,” Renaud said.

“One of the biggest problems in rural areas is transportation, so if you look at people having to walk to get to different services, there’s no sidewalks, so people are walking in the ditch or have limited income so they can’t afford ridesharing or taxis.”

The team will visit eight urban centres around the province, including Edmonton later this month, to gather public opinion on changes to PDD Safety Standards Regulation. Albertans are also invited to take part in an online survey and send Alberta Human Services their opinions, directly.

Consultation team chair John te Linde said that the consultations will give Albertans a venue to speak on a broad range of topics covered by the regulation, not just the controversial Standard 8 provisions that impacts unsupported individuals who don’t own their own homes and require 24-hour care.

“It’s a broad consultation. We’re not just focusing on Standard 8,” te Linde said. “We’re looking for solutions.

Protests and several human rights complaints derailed implementation of new building inspection standards for landlords housing the disabled early in 2015 — they’re changes advocates say will drive up renovation costs and make it harder for the disabled to find housing.

“I know an example in Fort McMurray that was $600,000 to renovate,” said Westlock Independence Network executive director Greg Morris. WIN provides support and services to community members in Westlock with various disabilities.

“People were kicked out of their home for a year and a half. So, what do you do in that case?”

Jamie Post, a communications coordinator with the Alberta Council of Disability Services also called changes made early last year by the former PC government ‘overkill.’

“I’ve seen as high as $60-70,000 to do a home,” Post said.

“Where do we get the money for it?

“I’ve got letters from landlords saying, ‘I’ve rented to you for a long time; I love the relationship with your agency; I love renting for a good cause and we do it below market value, but I can’t afford to do this and I can rent my home to anyone else without having to go through all the burdens.”

Feedback will be condensed for delivery to Human Service’s minister Irfan Sabir by mid-to-late March, before the March 31 deadline on extensions to housing inspections affected by the regulation.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks