Latest news with #AlbertaBillofRights
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Committee endorses options to better conserve trees on private property
Article content 'A status quo approach to tree conservation is expected to result in a sustained loss of private tree canopy over time and challenges in meeting council-approved citywide canopy targets,' said Shane Gagnon, senior planner with the climate and environment team. Article content However, even though it would have a greater effect, the city does not recommend council pass a private tree protection bylaw, Gagnon said, due to significant costs and complexities in implementation and enforcement. Article content Such a bylaw could also present legal challenges by potentially infringing on homeowners' property rights, as outlined under the newly amended Alberta Bill of Rights, another city official said Thursday. Article content 'There's also the challenge of enforcement in proving the bylaw was not complied with,' environmental planning and policy leader Rehana Rajabali told the committee. Article content Other Canadian cities that have passed tree protection bylaws include Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. In Vancouver, a permit is required to remove any tree on private property with a diameter of 20 centimetres or greater. Article content Article content During debate, Wong brought forward an amendment asking city staff to develop a private tree protection bylaw and return by the fourth quarter of this year. He equated staff's recommendations with the carrot, whereas a bylaw would be the stick. Article content Developing a tree protection bylaw would cost an additional $2.8 million, city officials said in response. Article content Wong's amendment ultimately failed in a 3-3 tie, with support from councillors Raj Dhaliwal and Dan McLean. Article content Rather than pursue a bylaw, the city's land-use bylaw, which is currently under review, can be tweaked to regulate the protection of private trees, argued Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra. Article content Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner said the recommendations brought forward Thursday strike a balance between recognizing the importance of private tree conservation, respecting individual property rights and the financial implication of a private tree protection bylaw.
CBC
20-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta's disability advocate calling provincial gov't to create accessibility law
Alberta's disability advocate, Greg McMeekin, is calling on the provincial government to join nearly every other Canadian province and pass an accessibility act. Recommendations in support of an all-encompassing law are in a June 2023 report that was submitted to the provincial government. The report, which the government didn't publicly release, was obtained by disability advocates through a freedom of information request. Zachary Weeks, an Edmonton-based disability advocate and accessibility consultant, then shared it on his website. "The risk of not addressing accessibility now is far greater than waiting for a future opportunity," the report says. "Accessibility legislation helps governments fulfil their duty to ensure that those with disabilities are treated equally." Alberta currently has a "patchwork of legislation" made up of 30 policies and laws, including the building code and the Alberta Bill of Rights. The report called for the government to pass an Accessible Alberta Act and associated regulations, within 18 months of receiving the recommendations. It also called for the legislation to come with measures to ensure compliance. The legislation would take a proactive approach — instead of the current complaint-driven process — and "identify, remove, and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities, and allow(s) for greater opportunities that improve quality of life and social inclusion," the report says. The Accessible Alberta Act should cover more than just physical barriers in buildings, the report says. People with disabilities also face barriers with communications, societal attitudes, technology and organizations. The legislation must also include measures "to create public awareness, procurement and contract policies, development of standards, timelines for implementation and compliance and enforcement," the report says. McMeekin was unavailable for an interview with CBC News. But in a written statement, he said the report's recommendations remain a priority for the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, noting that they have not yet been implemented. "I am hopeful as this legislation will ensure greater accessibility in the province for everyone," he said. More enforcement needed Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon, whose department is in charge of programs that assist people with disabilities, referred questions on possible accessibility legislation to Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver. McIver told CBC News he believes the government needs to be more aggressive in enforcing the current rules. He said the government will seriously consider the report's advice. He wouldn't say whether it's moving ahead with legislation. "We try to make constant improvements to what we do for disabled people in Alberta," McIver said. "Let me be clear: our job isn't done until disabled people tell us our job is done." The job is far from complete, said Weeks, the advocate in Edmonton who shared the 2023 report online. "We are still thinking in a traditional lens of what disability looks like in the '80s and '90s," he said. "That's where and how we've ended up where we are." Weeks referred to results from the latest Canadian Survey on Disability, which suggest more than one in four Canadians reported having a disability in 2022. He said anyone, at any point in their lives, could join the demographic. Report not a priority People with disabilities are tired of lip service from the government, said Weeks, who called on the province to start the legislative process, even if answers to some problems aren't immediately available. "It's OK if we don't agree on every detail," Weeks said. "But what we should all agree on is that people with disabilities shouldn't be left out of the system." St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud, the opposition NDP social services critic, agreed with Weeks, noting the legislative process will take years to complete. Renaud is disappointed the government hasn't moved on the report's recommendations.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Alberta introduces controversial involuntary addictions treatment bill
Social Sharing The Alberta government introduced its long-promised and controversial bill on Tuesday to force people with severe substance addictions into involuntary treatment. Bill 53, the Compassionate Intervention Act, lays out the criteria, guidelines and process for a family member or guardian, health-care professional or police officer to get someone into treatment. "This program is not for the vast majority of Albertans who suffer from addiction," Dan Williams, Alberta's minister of mental health and addictions, told a news conference in Edmonton. "This program is also not a criminal justice program. This is a health-care program … health care should lead to healing, and not harming those who suffer from addiction." The government intends to start opening compassionate intervention beds in existing facilities next year. Construction will start in 2026 on dedicated facilities for northern and southern Alberta. Both are expected to open by 2029. If the bill becomes law, it will be possible to fill out an online application to have someone apprehended. An independent compassionate intervention commission will be responsible for making legally binding treatment decisions. If a lawyer on the commission decides that the subject has shown that he or she is in danger of causing severe harm to themselves or to others, a police officer would apprehend them and take them to a compassionate intervention centre for a full health assessment and detox. A hearing before the entire three-person commission — made up of a lawyer, physician and member of the public — would be required to occur within 72 hours. The commission members would have to agree unanimously to either send the person to a secure compassionate intervention treatment facility for a maximum of three months, send them to a community-based recovery or addiction centre for up to six months, or discharge them completely. The bill says care plans would be reviewed every three weeks over the process. Subjects of the orders could appeal decisions. They could also ask for legal counsel or a mental-health patient advocate to represent them at the hearing. The commission would review progress of secure facility patients at the end of their term. They could then be discharged to a recovery community. Under the law, if passed, a patient won't be able to refuse medications that the commission has decided they will take to treat their addiction. Commission decisions could be challenged in court. Premier Danielle Smith said the government is taking care with the legislation. "We put forward enough protections to not only be compliant with the Alberta Bill of Rights, but also Section 1 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Smith said Tuesday. "We'll make sure that we're cautious as we go forward, but we also know that this is something that needs to be done." The government intends to have the act also apply to minors who be sent to a youth recovery centre in Edmonton that will open next year.
CBC
25-10-2024
- Health
- CBC
What you need to know as the Alberta legislature resumes this fall
The provincial government plans to expand the Alberta Bill of Rights to prevent coercive medical treatments, including vaccines. Three other bills aim to bring in new rules limiting access to gender-affirming care, sex education and women's sports.
