Justice Minister Kaycee Madu. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

New Alberta Parole Board created to ‘better protect Albertans’

Jan 28, 2021 | 2:13 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Alberta’s Justice Minister has announced the creation of a new provincial parole board.

Kaycee Madu says the Alberta Parole Board aims to provide a “fairer, faster, more responsive and responsible justice system” that protects the public from repeat offenders, including parolees.

“Given the lack of action by the federal government in addressing Alberta’s request for a fair deal in Confederation, the Alberta government must continue to assert its jurisdictional authority where it can, like a provincial parole board,” says Madu.

“The provincial government has assembled a skilled, diverse, and experienced team, and I have the utmost confidence in the Alberta Parole Board members to deliver fair decisions on behalf of Albertans.”

The board will review applications and determine parole eligibility for inmates in provincial custody, meaning they have been sentenced to less than two years.

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The Parole Board of Canada will continue to handle cases for those in the federal system.

It will be comprised of seven members who will serve either a two or three-year term. They include:

• Rick Hanson, chair – a former chief of police in Calgary and a former chief superintendent with the RCMP
• Randy Anderson – Northland School Board trustee and manager of Indigenous Relations at North Lake College
• Paul Bourassa – director and vice-president of Altia-ABM Inc. (North America)
• Craig Paterson – lawyer and former chair of Central Alberta Mental Health Review Board
• Shelly Takacs – project manager at Alberta Health Services
• Angela Tripathy – executive leader and general counsel
• Lisa Wardley – Mackenzie County councillor in Zama City

The Alberta Parole Board will be up and running on February 1.

With its creation, Alberta will become the third province to have its own parole board, joining Ontario and Quebec.