Minister Jeremy Nixon and Advocate for Persons with Disabilities Greg McMeekin meet to discuss the expansion of the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities and how to best serve Albertans with disabilities.
Alberta’s disability advocate works with members of the disability community to bring their concerns and issues directly to the government. By building relationships, the advocate is able to represent the community’s rights, interests and well-being.
Over the past two fiscal years, demand on the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities has increased. Because it is crucial that the advocate is able to continue building relationships with those who represent the community, the office will now have a physical presence in Calgary. Expanding to Calgary means more staff, greater accessibility and easier access to services for more people with disabilities.
“I am excited to see this expansion as it demonstrates our government’s commitment to Alberta’s disability community and their needs. By increasing their presence into Calgary, the advocate’s office will be able to better listen to and serve those in need of support. This new office will greatly benefit vulnerable Albertans throughout all of southern Alberta.”
“I am thrilled and excited to announce the expansion of the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities in Calgary. This expansion will allow us to serve more Albertans and achieve our strategic priorities as planned.”
Quick facts
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With the expansion to Calgary, total staffing for the office has increased to 11 from seven.
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The Edmonton office has been operating since 2018.
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Funding through Budget 2022 for the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities is $1 million.
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In 2021-22, the advocate’s office heard from 893 unique individuals, an increase of 18 per cent in total cases from the previous year.
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Most people contacting the office were individuals with disabilities (49.3 per cent) and were primarily from Edmonton or Calgary (65 per cent).
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During this fiscal year, the advocate’s office received an average of 24.2 cases per week.
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Albertans can contact the advocate’s office by phone at 780-422-1095, toll-free at 1-800-272-8841, by fax at 780-415-0097 or by email at [email protected].