2018 May 31

Bill 5: An Act to Strengthen Financial Security for Persons with Disabilities passed its third hearing.1 The bill is a kind of successor to Bill 211 that was proposed in 2017 but only managed to pass first hearing. Bill 5 continued on to gain Royal Assent and take effect on June 11, 2018.2 In Inclusion Alberta’s statement about the passage of the bill there seems to be a sense of relief among families who will “no longer have to live in fear that providing for their child in a Will or inheritance results in their son or daughter with disabilities losing their AISH and being put at risk”.3 Bruce Uditsky, CEO of Inclusion Alberta and parent of someone with a disability, expressed his appreciation for the passage of the bill but makes clear that Government still has a lot to improve on in the realms of education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.4