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

By Justin Goulet

New proposed bill would give non-profits more freedom to support their communities

Mar 24, 2021 | 7:22 AM

EDMONTON, AB – A new bill aims to make it easier for non-profits to support their communities in times of need.

The Freedom to Care Act, or Bill 58, would make simplify the process for non-profits to access exemptions, allow the province to grant new one-time regulatory exemptions and provide individual volunteers with liability protections.

The Government of Alberta noted that non-profits and charities are governed by regulations, like businesses. Regulations for commercial purposes can prevent non-profits from addressing immediate needs in their communities.

“Non-profits have helped Albertans make it through some of our province’s worst challenges, including the COVI D-19 pandemic,” said Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women, Leela Sharon Aheer.

“This legislation would ensure they can deliver the services Albertans need in a timely manner while encouraging more volunteers to step forward and serve their community.”

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The proposed Freedom to Care Act will:

· Allow cabinet (through an order in council) to grant one-time, short-term exemptions for non-profits from government regulations intended for business.

· Require the minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women to report annually to cabinet on exemption requests that cannot be addressed through existing processes or legislation.

· Provide individual volunteers with liability protections.

Several exemptions to regulations currently exist. For example, there are exemptions to limit liability for civil society organizations that accept donated food. The province stated that these organizations “need to focus on helping people instead of navigating complicated regulations”.

If Bill 58 is passed, a central website will be developed to help non-profits identify and access these exemptions to their organization.

There are over 26,400 non-profits in Alberta and each year, more than 1.6 million Albertans provide over 262-million volunteer hours to support their local communities.

The province stated that the value of volunteer time is estimated to be worth $5.6 billion per year and the non-profit sector employs 280,000 Albertans while accounting for $5.5 billion in GDP annually.

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