Opposition calls for seniors' advocate
NDP seniors critic Lori Sigurdson has tabled a new private member's bill that, if passed, would establish an independent Alberta seniors' advocate.
Similar to what already exists in British Columbia, Bill 215, the Seniors' Advocate Act, tabled Thursday, would create an office independent from government that would help seniors navigate services, provide policy recommendations and be able to conduct non-binding reviews if systemic issues or issues in the public interest arise.
Seniors have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID -19 pandemic.
In Alberta, more than 1,200 seniors in continuing care or supportive living sites have died of the virus.
In British Columbia, the independent advocate there has investigated large outbreaks and studied the impact of restrictions on seniors.
“The pandemic has highlighted the problems of seniors' isolation, ageism, and systemic problems in continuing care facilities,” Sigurdson said.
“The health-care system and senior services are deeply complex. The seniors' advocate would help seniors with daily issues while also dealing with broader ones.”
The former NDP government appointed a seniors' advocate as part of its government when the party was last in power.
In 2019 the UCP government abolished the post, combined the seniors portfolio with the health advocate's and mental health patient advocate's offices and appointed the UCP'S former executive director Janice Harrington to the position.
Sigurdson said an independent advocate would be more free to drive meaningful change.
Rick Brick, district director of the National Association of Federal Retirees, said the UCP government's decision to get rid of the original seniors' advocate post means seniors are not getting the help they used to.
“If Premier Kenney and Minister (of Seniors and Housing Josephine) Pon had not eliminated the seniors' advocate in December 2019 that valuable resource would have been there to help elderly Albertans as they 're dealing with the COVID pandemic,” he said.
“Effective, timely advice and action from government based on evidence presented to them from a true seniors' advocate might have helped to mitigate the travesty that occurred in our extended care facilities,” he said.
As a private member's bill, Bill 215 will now be reviewed by a legislative committee that will then decide whether or not it should be brought back to the legislature for debate.
In question period Thursday Health Minister Tyler Shandro did not respond to a question about whether his government would support the bill. He said no staff were lost when the former seniors' advocate's office was merged with the other positions.
“We continue to have a health advocate who is devoted to addressing the concerns of all Albertans, including seniors, and connecting them to the staff in either Alberta Health or Seniors and Housing,” he said.