The Province has announced a host of housekeeping changes to the Alberta justice system.
The Alberta Justice Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 20) was introduced by the UCP government April 21 with a laundry list of tweaks to the Corrections Act, Justices of the Peace Act, Missing Persons Act, Victims of Crimes and Public Safety Act, as well as the Youth Justice Act.
Among the more significant changes are a simplified process for appointing justices of the peace and changes that would give police more tools to work with on missing persons cases.
“As times change, it is important for justice-related legislation to stay current and effective,” said Justice Minister Tyler Shandro in a press release.
“Our commitment to making sure Albertans can access justice across our province includes looking after the little details as part of meeting the needs of Albertans today and into the future.”
The Missing Persons Amendment Act will introduce changes allowing police to apply for legal orders remotely when searching for missing persons, as well as clarify what information officers can request.
While compensation rates for the Alberta Parole Board would not being changed by the proposed Corrections Amendment Act (Parole Board Remuneration), it would see that they are set by order-in-council rather than through regulation.
The existing Parole Board Remuneration and Expenses Regulation outlines hourly rates for parole board chairs and members for time spent attending Parole Board hearings or conducting board business. Chairs are paid $375 for up to four hours in any day or $750 for over four and up to eight hours, as well as $94 per hour for each hour over eight. Parole board members are paid $175 for up to four hours in any day or $340 for over four and up to eight hours, plus $44 per hour for each hour over eight.
Proposed changes in the Victims of Crime and Public Safety Amendment Act would remove items containing dated references and modernize wordings. One such change would include renaming the ‘death benefit’ paid to families of murder victims to ‘funeral expense reimbursement.’
Changes contained within the Youth Justice Amendment Act would align provincial legislation with federal changes to the Criminal Code relating to detaining and releasing young persons, such as adopting new forms and procedures for summary convictions.
