Mr. George VanderBurg, MLA
Chair, Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta
Room 130, Legislature,
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, T5K2B6
Dear George,
Thank you for the November 7 meeting with a few of the members of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta (SACA) on our Independent Seniors’ Advocate (ISA) proposal. In his August letter to the Circle of Chairpersons of Alberta Seniors’ Advocacy Groups (the Circle) who have developed the ISA proposal, the Honourable Greg Melchin indicated his Department was not convinced of the need for the ISA and asked that we meet with SACA to make our case for the proposal. We agreed to such a meeting and twelve of the fourteen members of the Circle were able to attend, some traveling hundred of kilometres at their own expense. We were disappointed that so few other members from SACA were in attendance in addition to you. You indicated this was your decision. It would be helpful if you would provide us with your rationale for this decision. We wondered after the meeting if this was a signal from you the government was not interested in our proposal and not willing to give it a sincere hearing. You had several very important questions and observations about the ISA proposal during the meeting to which we responded. Because of their importance, and to keep all the people and organizations we have consulted on the ISA proposal informed of its progress, I wish to put in writing what we felt was of particular significance at the November 7 meeting. I include all the members of SACA in our mail-out as a courtesy. You asked if it was necessary to turn the system (the system to meet the needs of seniors in distress) on its head or could some changes be made to current government provisions to accommodate our concerns.Our response was that there are a great many resources available to help seniors in distress. For example, there are at least nineteen provincial departments that offer necessary services to seniors even though the Seniors Minister has several programmes specific to seniors. There is a concomitant number of federal departments. Services for seniors are also available from local forms of governments, from not-for-profit organizations and from for-profit businesses. The large number of resources can often make it very difficult for seniors in distress to tap into them. One role of the ISA is to match those resources with the needs of seniors in distress. Where needed, the ISA would shepherd seniors in distress to gain access to those resources. This will make maximum use of the existing resources. So, we are not trying to turn the existing system on its head. But, our own experience as seniors’ leaders working with seniors who call out for help shows there is a very real need for an ISA in the role of linking seniors in distress to available resources. This need will increase after 2011 when the baby boomers start to become senior citizens. Paras 1 and 2 on page 1 of the ISA paper speak to the needs of seniors in distress.In the discussion about our strongly held belief that the advocate must be an officer of the Legislature, you were very frank and honest with us when you said that would be the last thing the government would want because those offices create their own fiefdoms and their own bureaucracies and you “can’t get at them.”One consistent item of advice to us in the development of the ISA paper was that the seniors’ advocate would be a waste of money if she or he were not independent. We do see it necessary that the party in power have its own advisory mechanisms, including people who are like-minded to those in the party, to give advice in developing policies. That is the basis of our multiparty system. However, to have an advocate who would have to balance political considerations against the best interests of clients is not only unwise, but also inefficient and ineffective. Politicizing such a position would also undermine the integrity of any political party that took such a step. There is a real need for independent officers of legislatures in all democracies. Such officers are required so crucial needs of citizens can be met without political interventions. If such independent legislature positions were not there, we would need to invent them.In regard to your concern about creating bureaucracies, it was pointed out that “bureaucracy” is too often used as a pejorative term. Such pejorative labelling ignores the efficiencies of differentiated and well managed staffing. We explained that the ISA proposal was very innovative related to staffing. The Office of the ISA would have a small permanent staff. The very important field arm would be made up of seniors (referred to as ISA Elders in the paper) located throughout the Province. They would get special training to do their roles. And, they would be paid honouraria and expenses, not salaries and benefits. The ISA Elders would also work out of their homes. Their numbers could easily be expanded or decreased based on need. Further, seniors tend to relate well to other seniors, which is essential. The ISA would also make extensive use of contracted staff for special tasks. Page 5, paras b., c. and d. of the ISA paper detail how un-bureaucratic our proposal really is.You indicated that you intended to talk to the Ombudsman about the ISA proposal. We encourage you to do so. The Circle has had input from him. We explained to you that an ombudsman cannot be an advocate by definition. She or he has the job of investigating and ruling on cases of administrative unfairness in the application of law. It follows that an ombudsman must be scrupulously fair and neutral in the investigation of cases undertaken to determine how a law is being applied. We welcome the intervention of the Ombudsman in cases where seniors are suffering from unfair application of the law. The work of the ISA is quite different. In the paper you will see three ISA roles outlined. These are to help seniors in distress tap into resources to meet their needs, to refer cases where circumstances warrant to authorities like the Ombudsman, police, etc., and, based on evidence collected from cases handled, to recommend to the Legislature changes that are needed to programmes to meet the needs of seniors. (Section 3 on pages 3 and 4 of the ISA paper speak to the roles of the ISA.)You asked if we were trying to turn the existing system on its head. That would require use of a comprehensive set of data on the effectiveness of resources available to help seniors in distress. We know of no such available evaluative information of the very complex set of assets out there for seniors. A critical role of the ISA is to gather evidence from cases dealt with on an ongoing basis. Using that information, it will be possible to determine how the system is doing. Only through use of that evidence should recommendations be made to the Legislature, and to other levels of service providers on a cooperative basis, in making the system better. With evidence based improvements and as it is more fully utilized, it is most likely the existing system will flourish with the help of the ISA. The role of the ISA is very organic, that is all of the ISA functions are interrelated. The Office of the ISA as proposed is also very cost effective in the overall scale of provincial costs. It meets a very important need, honouring the well being of the aged, and it does so by involving the seniors’ community itself. Further, the population percentage of seniors has been stable in Alberta for years, but will grow rapidly in the near future. We want the Province to be prepared for this growth.Knowledgeable seniors who voluntarily chair seniors’ groups representing thousands of seniors have prepared this paper. It has been in development over a five year period for the long term benefit of all Alberta seniors . The ISA paper has already gone through a Standing Policy Committee under Carol Haley and Yvonne Fritz and received favourable consideration. The ISA concept was also endorsed by several of your party’s leadership candidates including our Treasurer, the Honourable Dr. Lyle Oberg. All opposition parties, including the Greens, support the ISA idea. Five years is long enough to get the ISA office working for Alberta Seniors. We are looking forward to working with the government in the establishment of a Province of Alberta Independent Seniors Advocate.
Kindest regards.
Sincerely,
Brian Staples, SALT Chair and Spokesperson for the Circle of Chairs of Seniors’ Advocacy Groups
CC Participants who have made input to the ISA Paper (ISA paper, page 7), Premier Stelmach, Minister Greg Melchin, Minister Dr. Lyle Oberg, Members of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta
Room 130, Legislature,
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, T5K2B6
Dear George,
Thank you for the November 7 meeting with a few of the members of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta (SACA) on our Independent Seniors’ Advocate (ISA) proposal. In his August letter to the Circle of Chairpersons of Alberta Seniors’ Advocacy Groups (the Circle) who have developed the ISA proposal, the Honourable Greg Melchin indicated his Department was not convinced of the need for the ISA and asked that we meet with SACA to make our case for the proposal. We agreed to such a meeting and twelve of the fourteen members of the Circle were able to attend, some traveling hundred of kilometres at their own expense. We were disappointed that so few other members from SACA were in attendance in addition to you. You indicated this was your decision. It would be helpful if you would provide us with your rationale for this decision. We wondered after the meeting if this was a signal from you the government was not interested in our proposal and not willing to give it a sincere hearing. You had several very important questions and observations about the ISA proposal during the meeting to which we responded. Because of their importance, and to keep all the people and organizations we have consulted on the ISA proposal informed of its progress, I wish to put in writing what we felt was of particular significance at the November 7 meeting. I include all the members of SACA in our mail-out as a courtesy. You asked if it was necessary to turn the system (the system to meet the needs of seniors in distress) on its head or could some changes be made to current government provisions to accommodate our concerns.Our response was that there are a great many resources available to help seniors in distress. For example, there are at least nineteen provincial departments that offer necessary services to seniors even though the Seniors Minister has several programmes specific to seniors. There is a concomitant number of federal departments. Services for seniors are also available from local forms of governments, from not-for-profit organizations and from for-profit businesses. The large number of resources can often make it very difficult for seniors in distress to tap into them. One role of the ISA is to match those resources with the needs of seniors in distress. Where needed, the ISA would shepherd seniors in distress to gain access to those resources. This will make maximum use of the existing resources. So, we are not trying to turn the existing system on its head. But, our own experience as seniors’ leaders working with seniors who call out for help shows there is a very real need for an ISA in the role of linking seniors in distress to available resources. This need will increase after 2011 when the baby boomers start to become senior citizens. Paras 1 and 2 on page 1 of the ISA paper speak to the needs of seniors in distress.In the discussion about our strongly held belief that the advocate must be an officer of the Legislature, you were very frank and honest with us when you said that would be the last thing the government would want because those offices create their own fiefdoms and their own bureaucracies and you “can’t get at them.”One consistent item of advice to us in the development of the ISA paper was that the seniors’ advocate would be a waste of money if she or he were not independent. We do see it necessary that the party in power have its own advisory mechanisms, including people who are like-minded to those in the party, to give advice in developing policies. That is the basis of our multiparty system. However, to have an advocate who would have to balance political considerations against the best interests of clients is not only unwise, but also inefficient and ineffective. Politicizing such a position would also undermine the integrity of any political party that took such a step. There is a real need for independent officers of legislatures in all democracies. Such officers are required so crucial needs of citizens can be met without political interventions. If such independent legislature positions were not there, we would need to invent them.In regard to your concern about creating bureaucracies, it was pointed out that “bureaucracy” is too often used as a pejorative term. Such pejorative labelling ignores the efficiencies of differentiated and well managed staffing. We explained that the ISA proposal was very innovative related to staffing. The Office of the ISA would have a small permanent staff. The very important field arm would be made up of seniors (referred to as ISA Elders in the paper) located throughout the Province. They would get special training to do their roles. And, they would be paid honouraria and expenses, not salaries and benefits. The ISA Elders would also work out of their homes. Their numbers could easily be expanded or decreased based on need. Further, seniors tend to relate well to other seniors, which is essential. The ISA would also make extensive use of contracted staff for special tasks. Page 5, paras b., c. and d. of the ISA paper detail how un-bureaucratic our proposal really is.You indicated that you intended to talk to the Ombudsman about the ISA proposal. We encourage you to do so. The Circle has had input from him. We explained to you that an ombudsman cannot be an advocate by definition. She or he has the job of investigating and ruling on cases of administrative unfairness in the application of law. It follows that an ombudsman must be scrupulously fair and neutral in the investigation of cases undertaken to determine how a law is being applied. We welcome the intervention of the Ombudsman in cases where seniors are suffering from unfair application of the law. The work of the ISA is quite different. In the paper you will see three ISA roles outlined. These are to help seniors in distress tap into resources to meet their needs, to refer cases where circumstances warrant to authorities like the Ombudsman, police, etc., and, based on evidence collected from cases handled, to recommend to the Legislature changes that are needed to programmes to meet the needs of seniors. (Section 3 on pages 3 and 4 of the ISA paper speak to the roles of the ISA.)You asked if we were trying to turn the existing system on its head. That would require use of a comprehensive set of data on the effectiveness of resources available to help seniors in distress. We know of no such available evaluative information of the very complex set of assets out there for seniors. A critical role of the ISA is to gather evidence from cases dealt with on an ongoing basis. Using that information, it will be possible to determine how the system is doing. Only through use of that evidence should recommendations be made to the Legislature, and to other levels of service providers on a cooperative basis, in making the system better. With evidence based improvements and as it is more fully utilized, it is most likely the existing system will flourish with the help of the ISA. The role of the ISA is very organic, that is all of the ISA functions are interrelated. The Office of the ISA as proposed is also very cost effective in the overall scale of provincial costs. It meets a very important need, honouring the well being of the aged, and it does so by involving the seniors’ community itself. Further, the population percentage of seniors has been stable in Alberta for years, but will grow rapidly in the near future. We want the Province to be prepared for this growth.Knowledgeable seniors who voluntarily chair seniors’ groups representing thousands of seniors have prepared this paper. It has been in development over a five year period for the long term benefit of all Alberta seniors . The ISA paper has already gone through a Standing Policy Committee under Carol Haley and Yvonne Fritz and received favourable consideration. The ISA concept was also endorsed by several of your party’s leadership candidates including our Treasurer, the Honourable Dr. Lyle Oberg. All opposition parties, including the Greens, support the ISA idea. Five years is long enough to get the ISA office working for Alberta Seniors. We are looking forward to working with the government in the establishment of a Province of Alberta Independent Seniors Advocate.
Kindest regards.
Sincerely,
Brian Staples, SALT Chair and Spokesperson for the Circle of Chairs of Seniors’ Advocacy Groups
CC Participants who have made input to the ISA Paper (ISA paper, page 7), Premier Stelmach, Minister Greg Melchin, Minister Dr. Lyle Oberg, Members of the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta
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