Private member’s bill calls on Alberta to introduce encompassing accessibility legislation

A new bill being introduced by the Alberta NDP is asking the province to set accessibility standards for people with disabilities.

St. Albert NDP MLA Marie Renaud is working on getting a bill passed that would see Alberta implement a complete accessibility framework.

Bill 206, the Accessible Alberta Act, if passed, would require the government to appoint a committee of experts and lived experiences to identify, remove and prevent barriers for disabled people in areas like employment, government services, transportation, housing, health and education.

The goal, she says, is to have a “barrier-free” Alberta by 2040, in line with the same national goal.

The act would “significantly” improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, advocate Zachary Weeks told CTV News Edmonton on Monday after the bill was read for a second time at the legislature.

“What it could mean is bringing Alberta up to par with the rest of the country, as we are one of only two provinces that do not have accessibility legislation for people with disabilities to give them the same rights as everyone else,” Weeks said.

Renaud says Alberta’s current policies address disability on an issue-by-issue basis, creating gaps.

Plain-language communication requirements, screen-reader compatibility, and ASL interpreters in health-care settings are examples of things that would be standardized if her private member bill is passed.

“This is not a partisan thing. This is an important access tool, and we really need to start doing this work now,” Reanud said. “We’re going to focus on the next week and trying to get the votes we need to pass this.”

The bill is expected to be voted on on Monday.

Alberta’s minister of assisted living and social services addressed the bill on Tuesday.

“Early glances at the bill, there’s some real challenges with it,” Jason Nixon told reporters at the legislature.

“There’s some real challenges with the fact that we take the entire process and put it into an unelected committee, which would not allow the elected legislature to obviously have a say in the process.”

Nixon said he also takes issue with the fact that the bill bypasses Alberta’s disability advocate and would require consultation with stakeholders before changing building codes.

“We’re pretty confident in our approach that we have currently in Alberta when it comes to accessibility,” Nixon added.

“Most of what I would say is good in the bill we already do. So I’m not sure that we have to legislate it.”

When asked Monday by NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi if her government would support Bill 206, Premier Danielle Smith said transitioning people with disabilities from the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program to the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) was meant to give them more support.

About one quarter of Albertans have a disability, according to provincial data.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell