Legal Aid Alberta, funding for individuals with severe disabilities

Legal Aid Alberta has received new provincial funding, but these funds will not go towards opening the Legal Aid office in Fort MacMurray back up. Instead this funding will be used to address covering individuals with severe disabilities. The government of Alberta has announced that they will provide $5.5 million for this fiscal year, and that allows Legal Aid Alberta to increase their income cutoff levels, and this means that more individuals with severe disabilities who are on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped will qualify for services from the organization. The Legal Air board chair Derek Cranna explained “It is an important and signal event for Legal Aid today, to be able to proceed … on the basis that we wished to for some time now, which is to provide coverage for those Albertans who are in the most vulnerable positions.”

Now Legal Aid Alberta can provide full representations to those whose income falls below $1,588. Up until now the income limit was $1,348, and that eliminated individuals with severe disabilities who received the AISH payments which are typically around $1,500 per month. The income cutoff limits are intended to control spending while ensuring the lower income levels have access to full legal representation. According to Jonathan Denis, the Minister of Justice for Alberta “I’ve said since day one that we would take this issue to the federal government, and I’ve indicated that if the federal government wasn’t ready to stand up, we would do this.” Denis explained that he discussed this issue with Peter McKay, a federal minister. “He did indicate that he was willing to keep a dialogue going, however, talk is cheap and Legal Aid needs services now.”