Timeline vague on disability advocate

Alberta will likely have a disability advocate in the new year, but Social Services Minister Irfan Sabir still can’t give an exact timeline.

The job would be posted “fairly soon,” Sabir said Monday, though he wouldn’t say whether that means before or after Christmas.

“We are hoping to get it as soon as we can. It’s not just hiring an individual, it’s setting up a full office with all the supports to be able to deliver on the mandate,” he told Postmedia.

Cash for the advocate’s office will come from the ministry’s existing budget, Sabir said, with a likely cost of around $900,000. If there’s any shortfall, the government will cover it in next year’s budget.

NEW DUTIES

Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt started a new job Monday. He’s filling in for Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley, who is on maternity leave to have her first child. Schmidt will pick up the justice and solicitor general roles while Ganley is off.

ALBERTA ADVANTAGE ENTERS BYELECTION

Another candidate is having a crack at the vacant CalgaryLougheed seat.

Wayne Leslie, a former Calgary police officer, will run as an Independent backed by the Alberta Advantage Party association.

In a release, the 30-year veteran said he is taking on UCP Leader Jason Kenney as “a committed Calgarian who believes that Albertans want to kick the NDP government to the curb, but do not want a return to (Progressive Conservative) style corruption and arrogance.”

The Alberta Advantage Party was formed by former Wildrosers unhappy with the UCP merger.

It’s not just hiring an individual, it’s setting up a full office with all the supports to be able to deliver.