Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Bedbugs are costing my constituents living in apartments, condos, seniors’ residences, and shelters huge problems and a lot of money, but because there’s no disease, the Alberta government considers them pests and has not developed an income support policy for low-income Albertans, including seniors and those on AISH.

Without an official policy people have to know to seek director approval for any support. It’s a wicked, wicked hide-and-seek for people under stress. To the Minister of Human Services: will the minister please co-ordinate with AHS to produce a public information campaign on recognizing bedbug infestations and the need for fast treatment?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For a moment there I thought we were going to be asked for an income support program for bedbugs.

I understand the hon. member’s concerns and the issue that she’s raising. It is a very important issue with respect to bedbugs this year in Alberta, as I understand it. I don’t understand much more about it, and I will talk with the hon. member further about what’s happening in her area and how we can assist those who are unable to afford the process themselves. It is an infestation that causes a problem we need to resolve.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Back to the same minister: well, Minister, given that treatment for bedbugs requires people to spend money to rewash clothes, purchase extra cleaning supplies, bags to wrap clothing, and to move and store furniture, will the minister direct his department to develop and distribute a policy on financial support for low-income seniors and AISH recipients for funding for bedbug infestations?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, I’d go a little bit further than that to say that what I have indicated to people in our department is that they should use principle-based decision-making with respect to support for children and families who need support. In working with individuals who have a financial issue, they need to work through those issues with them and assist them with the right kind of support at the right time. We will be looking at our policies in that area. One of my mandates is looking at the whole social policy framework and, within that, the context of income supports so that we’re supporting people in the right way at the right time, not just with financial support but also with family support to determine how they can do better for families.

The Speaker: The hon. member, please.

Ms Blakeman: Good. Thank you again. Back to the same minister. In some cases seniors and others may be required to find overnight accommodation while their unit or their floor is treated for bedbugs. Will the minister develop and distribute a policy to cover the cost of hotel accommodation if family or friends are unable to provide short-term accommodation?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I’m trying to establish as we move forward with the social policy framework and really look at our income support within that context is that rather than reacting to each specific instance with a new rule and regulation and a new policy, we look generically at issues to say: how do we need to support people so that they can live in human dignity, and how can we assist them to be as independent as possible? This would, in my view, fall within that purview of saying: how do we need to help people when they need help in the right way without a knee-jerk reaction of writing a new rule or a new policy?

Alberta Hansard, November 24, 2011

[direct link to this article]