August 2016


CEO's Message
The end of August moves us into the "cooling off" season between summer and fall. With fading daylight hours, declining temperatures, and the last weeks MLAs have in their constituencies before moving into the Legislature for the fall session.

I encourage you to use this time to meet with your representatives before they return to the Legislature. Invite them to any events you may be having, and encourage them to bring their colleagues or a Minister along if they're available. Continue telling the story of what's happening in our sector. Share your pride in your innovation, initiative, creativity and collaboration. Thank them for the successes we've had with this government over the past year, their own advocacy, and their willingness to listen and learn about their constituents.

Our work over the past months and year shouldn't be understated. We achieved a pause and then a full repeal of the PDD Safety Standards Regulation. ACDS is working hard with the PDD Consultation Team to draft next steps and final recommendations for the Human Services Minister. We created connections with Municipal Affairs that have been invaluable throughout the consultation, and will be for our sector for years to come. We were part of a successful push to end the use of the Supports Intensity Scale, providing government with alternative solutions that helped make this repeal possible. We've worked diligently on the procurement process and the proposed contract template. We pushed for the repeal of some contract clauses that have been pulled from the proposed contract template for our sector, while continuing to exist across other government ministries. We successfully pushed for an extension of the current contract, giving us much time to continue working on the matter.

The Minister for Human Services, The Hon. Irfan Sabir, deserves acknowledgement for the steps he's taken after hearing our concerns. Your work over the last 15 months educating your local MLAs helped make this possible, as we cut through the noise and created a profile for our sector among political leaders and local media, and we did it while presenting reasoned and researched solutions and policy alternatives.

We need to keep that narrative going, and continuing telling our story, locally and provincially. The development of the 2016/17 budget cycle is coming, a decision by the Ministry on competitive procurement in Human Services is coming, Government decisions on minimum wage and a carbon levy in relation to non-profits, and their own contracting for services is coming.

Keep telling decision-makers of the history of our sector, and how it developed, of the value service providers bring to communities and the province, historically, socially and financially.

As always, visit the members-only section of ACDS.ca for the latest key messages, reports and our tip-sheet for contacting your elected representative. The website has also been updated with the results from our summer 2016 minimum wage survey of members, and the 2015 HR Data Collection Report.

Also, save the date for the 2016 ACDS AGM, October 12th in Leduc. Watch for your AGM packages and enjoy these fleeting days of summer.

Ann Nicol
CEO, ACDS
____
If you want to schedule time to talk with Ann or comment on something that is important to you, just send a message to acds@acds.ca. 
The Policy & Political Scene

PDD Contract Template Committee Update
  • The PDD Contract Template Committee has met throughout the summer and continues to meet on a regular basis to jointly develop a new contract template for implementation on April 1, 2017.
  • The discussions to date have been positive and constructive, contributing to a better understanding of the operational realities and constraints faced by both PDD service providers and Human Services.
  • These are complex issues that require focused attention, and while the Committee has agreed in principle on a number of revisions to the template originally proposed by Human Services earlier this year, a number of issues still require discussion and resolution.   
  • The Committee will be meeting on a bi-weekly basis through the Fall to continue its work, which will be informed by input gathered from PDD service providers through a number of mechanisms, including your Regional Service Provider Council representatives: Diane Kotkas (South), Todd Rich (Calgary),  Phil Stephan & Marilyn Conner (Central), Jim McCuthcheon (Edmonton), Tacey Murphy & Arno Birkigt (Provincial & North East), and Darren Stubbs (North West)

Summer 2016 Minimum Wage Survey Results
In late July and early August of 2016, ACDS surveyed its members on the minimum wage increase of October 2015, the transition to a $15/hr minimum wage, and the effect of an increased minimum wage on wage grid compression, employment supports for people with disabilities, and social enterprise.

The final report from the survey is now available to you in the ACDS.ca Members-Only section.

Quick Stats:
  • 57% of respondents have staff affected by the October 2015 $11.20/hr minimum wage increase
  • Among respondents, the projected annual payroll increases for the October 2016 rate of $12.20/hr, range from $7,600 to $111,000
  • 75% of respondents will need to raise rates for sleepover shifts to meet a $15/hr minimum wage
  • Percentage of staff at respective providers earning less at $15 per hour, ranges from 3% to 60%
  • As with the 2015 member survey, wage grid compression issues are highlighted
  • 75% of respondents provide employment supports and provided written responses
2015 HR Data Collection Results
Submissions to the ACDS Membership Survey and 2015 Data Collation survey were accepted from January 25, 2016 to April 18, 2016. 34 organizations completed both the cross associational survey questions and the ACDS portion of the survey.

The final report is now available on the Members-Only section of ACDS.ca. (Look for the "surveys" area). The report is another useful tool for you to use when connecting with your MLA and telling the story of our sector, particularly in regards to issues of wage funding and the number of staff in lower paying roles, education and the loss of experienced staff.

Quick Stats:
  • The largest staff age demographic is 24-34 year-olds, comprising 24.5% of the workforce
  • 79.6% of staff in Community Disability Services are female
  • 55.9% are working full-time
  • 50.9% of CDS workers in Alberta earned $20/hr or less
  • Provincially, the average turnover rate was 22.6%
The ACDS Umbrella is a publication of the
Alberta Council of Disability Services
Bay 19, 3220 - 5 Avenue NE
Calgary, Alberta, T2A 5N1
Phone: 403-250-9495 * Fax: 403-291-9864
© 2016 Alberta Council of Disability Services

Do you have something to say about 
The ACDS Umbrella or any of its content?
Send your comments or ideas to us at jamie@acds.ca

Permission to Reprint: Is there an article or news item in this or any other ACDS Umbrella newsletter that you would like to reprint in your own newsletter or other information circular? Please contact us at acds@acds.ca, attention Communications and Marketing, and include the title of the article, the issue date (e.g., February 2013), and a brief summary of how the material will be used.

Disclaimer:
The information provided in The ACDS Umbrella is for your information only and links are provided for your convenience. ACDS is not responsible for the content, change in content, accuracy, relevancy, copyright compliance, or legality of the material on external websites.