One day before a governance agreement between the Alberta government, Legal Aid Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta was set to expire, a new five-year deal has been announced between the three parties.
“The provision of legal aid services in Alberta is a shared commitment, and one that all the groups involved take very seriously,” Justice Minister Mickey Amery said in a news release issued Wednesday.
“Our goal is to ensure the sustainability and fiscal accountability of legal aid for all Albertans now and into the future, and this new agreement puts us on the right track.”
The new governance agreement will come into effect on Friday.
The previous governance agreement expired on June 30, prompting a number of legal organizations to warn that Legal Aid Alberta may be forced to stop offering services to new clients because of the lack of a deal. On July 5, Amery announced that the expired agreement would be extended until Sept. 5 to allow for further negotiations.
In a statement Wednesday, the Alberta government said it plans to continue to consult with Legal Aid Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta “to ensure decisions regarding the future direction of legal aid services in the province are data-driven and guided by the legal needs of vulnerable Albertans.”
Global News reached out to Legal Aid Alberta for comment on the new agreement but the organization said nobody was available for comment.