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Seniors will no longer have a dedicated provincial advocate in 2020 as government asks Alberta’s health advocate to absorb the role.

Although the minister of seniors and housing said the new combined office will still serve seniors well, the current seniors advocate worries elderly people are losing the voice of a team dedicated to combating systemic ageism.

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“I am so passionate about it — we really need a seniors advocate in this province,” outgoing advocate Sheree Kwong See said earlier this month. “We need seniors’ issues to be front and centre.”

In 2013, the former Progressive Conservative government announced it was creating offices of the health advocate and seniors advocate as part of implementing an Alberta Health Act.

The offices opened in 2014, with the health advocate taking on the seniors advocate role temporarily until Kwong See was recruited in 2016.

The seniors advocate has three key roles: helping seniors navigate systems and get support, outreach to seniors’ groups and making recommendations to government for improvements.