Budgets to increase for select legislative offices in 2018-19

Legislative offices will receive more funding in 2018-19 while the Alberta government moves to tighten its purse strings.

Seven offices — including those of the auditor general, child and youth advocate and chief electoral officer — submitted budgets that were approved by a standing committee Friday.

Child and youth advocate Del Graff asked for close to $2.2 million in additional funding to bolster a growing number of investigations into the deaths and serious injuries of children who received welfare services. The office’s total approved budget for 2018-19 is pegged at $15.4 million.

“We have held our current budget for three years,” Graff said in Hansard. “We are unable to absorb the increases required to meet the new demands that come with the increased legislative mandate for investigations.”

Auditor general Merwan Saher also successfully made the case for more money, requesting close to $1.1 million more for a total budget of $27.8 million. He told committee members his office isn’t tone deaf to the province’s fiscal challenges.

“You need the services of your

legislative audit office more than ever. When economic times are difficult, the work of officers of the legislature and especially an audit office may be even more essential, thus justifying a budget increase,” Saher said in Hansard.

Chief electoral officer Glen Resler received a budget bump of $4.5 million compared to 2015 after he said the budget is subject to the four-year election cycle.

“The budget progressively grows as we approach the next provincial election in the spring of 2019,” Resler said in Hansard.

Information and privacy commissioner Jill Clayton asked for a $43,200 increase, or 0.6 per cent of the budget, to fill a vacant position.

“We’ve tried very hard, as we have the last couple of years — you know, I’m aware of economic realities and budget constraints — to stay within the same budget envelope this year and previous years,” Clayton said in Hansard.

The office of the ombudsman and public interest commissioner is not requesting an operational budget increase, but staff is asking for $625,000 for investigators and equipment due to its expanding jurisdiction.

“We do see our greatest challenge in the 2018-19 fiscal year being the growth of our jurisdiction from approximately 220 authorities to now include Alberta’s 354 municipalities,” said acting deputy ombudsman and director Ted Miles.

Suzanne Richford, director of corporate services in the office of the ombudsman and public interest commissioner, said the department of municipal affairs is expected to offset the costs.

“As a result, the provision of ombudsman services to municipalities will be a net neutral cost to Albertans,” Richford said.

The standing committee on legislative offices also approved a $970,000 budget for Alberta’s ethics commissioner.