We've celebrated Canada Day 2015, marking 148 years since our nation's founding. The Canadian flag turned 50 this year, by the way. If you're in Edmonton, you may have taken in the day's celebrations at the Alberta Legislature, and the opportunity to chat with MLAs and even the Premier.

The Alberta Legislature should be foremost on our minds. Please consider this message a call to action. Over the next few days, in the Members Only section (under Key Messages) on www.acds.ca, we'll be uploading the briefing documents that ACDS is distributing to MLAs and Cabinet Ministers. Also to be included is a letter directed towards agency leaders like yourselves and a briefing document/tip sheet that you can distribute to your individuals, staff, and families/guardians, as well as the legal opinion ACDS has received on all of the Safety Standards.

The issues surrounding the Standard 8 and the PDD Safety Standards as a whole are quickly approaching a crisis point for a number of people and service providers. The government is going to begin working over the summer on a full provincial budget to be tabled in the fall. Treasury Board directives which require the retendering of contracts within Human Services over $10,000 will soon become a significant issue.

These issues cannot remain quiet or behind closed doors. To quote Graham Thompson and his message to our sector this past January: "Show the public, media and politicians why they should care"

ACDS is asking The Hon. Irfan Sabir, Minister of Human Services, for a suspension of the PDD Safety Standards Regulation, and recommending an MLA-led stakeholder review that could be completed over the summer months. Operating on a participatory model, this review panel, which the Minister has the authority to commission under the PDD Act, would be able to work transparently in bringing forward documents, testimony and developing solutions to issues which could be tabled for action and implementation in the fall.

This is a chance for the Minister to work collaboratively with our sector, while developing policy directions that could solve a number of issues over the months ahead. A full review of PDD's operations, performance measures and administrative costs would also be timely as the government looks to continue supporting people with disabilities while facing a substantial budget deficit.

As sector leaders, we need to bring issues forward to the public, media and on social media as they affect your organization and the people whom you serve. Please take the information provided and use it to contact your MLA in support of this request.

The ACDS Communications Committee has worked to develop this information. Starting in the South region, Service Provider Councils from north to south are drafting letters that will soon be sent as well to the Minister and Members of the Assembly.

Please contact Jamie Post (jamie@acds.ca) and myself (ann@acds.ca) if you need assistance, have questions, or to inform us as to how you are proceeding, so that we can collect information provincially on how our message is being received.

If we're successful, the summer months will be a busy time for us, and a productive one where we can look back at the advocacy we've undertaken together as the start of real change in our relationship with government.

Regards,

Ann Nicol, CEO

PDD Safety Standards Act

The issues surrounding Standard 8 and the PDD Safety Standards Act as a whole are quickly approaching a crisis point for a number of people and service providers.  

• The results of our member survey have been tabled with the PDD Division.
• A legal opinion from lawyer John McGee has been shared with members and has helped frame our response that the Act unreasonably requires Service Providers to be accountable for living environments they have no control over.
• ACDS key messages have been developed requesting that The Hon. Irfan Sabir, Minister of Human Services, suspend the PDD Safety Standards Regulation pending discussions with stakeholders to consider better options for ensuring the safety of individuals with a context of community inclusion and individual rights.

New Treasury Board Directives

The government is going to begin working over the summer on a full provincial budget to be tabled in the fall. Treasury Board directives which require the retendering of contracts within Human Services over $10,000 will soon become a significant issue.  

• We have requested information and input into the development of exemption guidelines at several PDD Division forums.
• A draft briefing has been prepared on the potential impact on continuity of care, service stability and workforce uncertainty.
• This has been shared with ALIGN (formerly AASCF) who will further develop from the Children's Services perspective and will be jointly presented to the Ministry's COO.

Transformational Change and Stakeholder Review

Through the Membership Council we have heard very clear concerns about the need for this new Government and Minister to pause and assess the current program changes and issues impacting services through an MLA-led stakeholder review. We've recommended that this review could be completed over the summer months.  

• Operating on a participatory model, this review panel, which the Minister has the authority to commission under the PDD act, would be able to work transparently in bringing forward documents, testimony and developing solutions to issues which could be tabled for action and implementation in the fall.
• This is a chance for the Minister to work collaboratively with our sector, while developing policy directions that could solve a number of issues over the months ahead.
• A full review of PDD's operations, performance measures and administrative costs would also be timely as the government looks to continue supporting people with disabilities while facing a substantial budget deficit.
• Service Provider Councils are reviewing their position statements and developing messaging for distribution.
• We will discuss this matter further at our next meeting of the Membership Council on July 2nd.

Minimum Wage Increase

Premier Notely has announced that her government is planning a phased in approach towards an increase in the minimum wage to $15.00/hour.  

• ACDS was invited to attend a stakeholder consultant and was very pleased to have our Workforce Council co-chair, Tacey Murphy, attend on our behalf.
• Our office researched and developed a briefing document on the potential issues and impacts that require further planning and our willingness to work on collaboratively. (Available in the Members Only section of ACDS.ca)
• Issues raised by members included immediate impacts on overnight staff currently funded at minimum wage level and compression costs for other staff positions. Impacts will also be felt by members operating social enterprises that supplement and support PDD programs, employment of individuals in community and on AISH.