(Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Jason Nixon

Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services receives mandate letter

Aug 4, 2023 | 10:49 AM

Premier Danielle Smith has issued a mandate letter to Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon calling on him to strengthen Alberta’s systems to support the most vulnerable in the province.

In her letter, provincial officials say the Premier outlines her expectations that government be creative, innovative, and collaborative in ensuring Albertans have the supports they need and tasks Minister Nixon with:

• As lead, working in cooperation with relevant ministries, including the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, to develop and implement an affordable and attainable home ownership and rental strategy that focuses on incentivizing the construction of new homes and rental units and creating additional financing options for prospective homeowners, while removing barriers for both homebuyers and renters. The strategy should be focused on both middle-income and low-income prospective renters and buyers, including seniors.
• Exploring the feasibility of a “short-term disability” program to better facilitate, where medically appropriate, the return of Albertans to work when medically able to do so.
• Ensuring supports for the vulnerable, including AISH and the seniors’ benefit, continue to be indexed to inflation.
• Ensuring those with severe disabilities have seamless support from first diagnosis through childhood and adulthood without interruption of needed supports.
• Working with the federal government and municipalities to ensure housing-related programs align with the housing needs of Albertans.
• Continuing to implement Stronger Foundations, Alberta’s 10-year strategy to address affordable housing across the province.
• Providing adequate ongoing funding to food banks and other operators to ensure families have access to nutritional food in times of need.
• Ensuring adequate funding is provided to partners to ensure low-income Albertans can access municipal transit at lower prices.
• Working with seniors lodge providers to undergo a planned review for the purpose of expanding seniors lodges and facilities to keep up with increased growth and demand.
• Ensuring the Office of the Public Guardian is funded appropriately to support aging seniors who become mentally or physically unable to make personal decisions for themselves.
• Working with the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, who is lead, to align the policies of the ministry with the Alberta model recovery-oriented system of care.
• Designing a ministry-specific job-attraction strategy that raises awareness for young Albertans (aged 16 to 24) and adults changing careers of the professions available in the seniors and community supports sector, including pathways for education and training.

“I am honoured to receive this mandate from the Premier to strengthen our systems of support for Albertans. I am eager to develop policies and initiatives that build affordable housing, support services for people with disabilities, make life better for seniors, and address the needs of all Albertans,” says Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services.

Meantime, Marie Renaud, Alberta NDP Critic for Community and Social Services and Janis Irwin, Alberta NDP Critic for Housing issued the following statement in response to the Seniors, Community and Social Services mandate letter:

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“This letter does nothing to address poverty, inadequate housing, food insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment of disabled and low-income Albertans.

“It is unacceptable that Alberta will remain one of the few jurisdictions in Canada without accessibility legislation. Our NDP caucus is committed to introducing this legislation, which is foundational work and essential to create an accessible province, which includes housing, employment and transportation. Sadly, the UCP did not even use the word accessibility.

“There is no plan in this letter to address the thousands and thousands of Albertans on waitlists for programs like FSCD (Family Support for Children with Disabilities) and PDD (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) waitlists that have ballooned under the UCP’s time in office and they have no plan to meet the needs of Albertans. Improving transitions between programs is good, however it fails to address the current program crises.

“Albertans are looking for a government focused on doing the necessary work to address poverty. It is good that the UCP has committed to funding food banks, but this letter has no long term vision, nor investments to address the causes and roots of poverty.

“Our Caucus is committed to advocating for legislation, policies, investments that address poverty, inaccessibility, unemployment and underemployment of low income and disabled Albertans,” said Renaud.

“So many Albertans are struggling with access to housing, and rents are skyrocketing. We haven’t seen this UCP government make any efforts to provide relief either in the short term or the long term. That has not changed in this mandate letter from Danielle Smith.

“This letter does not have a single practical measure that will help Albertans afford a place to live today or in the coming weeks. There is no plan. We expected this, but are nonetheless completely disappointed. Our leader called on the UCP to strike an all-party committee to begin the important work of addressing the housing crisis and we have yet to hear a response, or see their plan.

“While the UCP refuses to act or engage Albertans, we, the Alberta NDP Caucus, are moving ahead with consultations on immediate solutions like an Alberta Rent Bank and what role rental increase caps can play for those struggling to afford housing. Albertans deserve action,” said Irwin.