File photo of the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton. (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Province introduces Act aimed at ‘modernizing’ justice-related legislation

Apr 22, 2022 | 9:57 AM

EDMONTON – The provincial government has introduced legislation aimed at modernizing justice law in Alberta.

If the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2022 is passed, the housekeeping amendments will update the Corrections Act, the Justices of the Peace Act, the Missing Persons Act, the Victims of Crime and Public Safety Act, and the Youth Justice Act.

Proposed modifications include streamlining the appointment process for justices of the peace, clarifying the processes for police working missing persons cases and keeping provincial legislation in line with changes to Canada’s Criminal Code.

Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro said, “as times change, it is important for justice-related legislation to stay current and effective.”

“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.”

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Below is a summary of the proposed amendments, courtesy of the Government of Alberta:

Corrections Amendment Act (Parole Board Remuneration)

• A housekeeping change for Alberta Parole Board members that does not change the compensation rates but makes them set by order-in-council instead of regulation. This administrative change would make the board’s process consistent with other Alberta government agencies, boards and commissions.

Justice of the Peace Amendment Act (Part-time and Full-time)

• A shift to allow the chief judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta to make justices of the peace full- or part-time, instead of going through a government approval process. This change would bring the redesignation process in line with what is already in place for judges and masters in chambers moving from full- to part-time.

Missing Persons Amendment Act

• Along with recent changes to the Missing Persons Regulation, amendments to the act would allow police searching for missing persons to apply for legal orders remotely and clarify what information police can request to help them complete the work involved in finding missing persons more efficiently and effectively. Changes to this process were included in recent updates to the regulation, with amendments to the act complementing these changes as part of the housekeeping changes.

Victims of Crime and Public Safety Amendment Act

• Proposed changes would remove items containing dated references and help modernize wording to be more considerate of grieving families. Updates include renaming “death benefit” to “funeral expense reimbursement” and removing out-of-date references in the legislation.

Youth Justice Amendment Act

• Housekeeping changes would align the act with federal changes made to the Criminal Code of Canada related to detaining and releasing young persons, such as adopting new forms and procedures for summary conviction proceedings.