Alberta’s government is increasing the tariff rate for legal aid roster lawyers to $125 per hour from $100 per hour effective January 1..April 2022, Alberta’s minister of justice and attorney general instructed Legal Aid Alberta to conduct a modernization review of the legal aid system. They submitted their recommendations to the minister in October..Alberta's government stated then the review would benefit the roster by simplifying certificate management and administration, simplifying billing under the tariff and ensuring adequate compensation for substantive work required on a file..Also in October, an in-year increase within the existing budget envelope was made possible due to increased federal funding, allowing Alberta’s government to increase the tariff, financial eligibility guidelines and block billing by 8.225%.The hourly tariff rate of $92.40 for roster lawyers was increased to $100 per hour, making Alberta’s hourly tariff rate the fourth highest among provinces..With modernization work on its way to being implemented, Alberta’s government has approved a further 25% increase to the tariff rate and block billing for legal aid lawyers to $125 per hour from $100 per hour..“I want to thank all legal aid lawyers for their patience and advocacy as we have worked our way through the review. Our commitment to review all aspects of legal aid funding remains in place and will be completed in the new year," Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro said.."I also want to commend my colleagues and Premier Smith, who recognized the need for further funding for the legal aid system.”.While an increase to the legal aid tariff is a positive step, it never should have gotten to this point, NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir said.. “The UCP refused to honour the 2018 agreement signed by our government. They claimed it wasn’t possible to increase the tariff, which led to delays and chaos in our justice system, and risked cases being thrown out.".Sabir claims the tariff increase still fails to address the other issues facing legal aid, including paying arrears owed to legal aid under the 2018 agreement and revising eligibility guidelines to ensure better access to justice.."I urge minister Tyler Shandro to work with lawyers’ organizations to resolve these issues and end the chaos in our justice system," Sabir said..Legal Aid Alberta will update internal systems and prepare to implement the modernization recommendations in spring 2023.
