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Tony Flores has long promoted the rights of all people, and promises to bring that passion to his new role as Alberta’s first disability advocate.

He’s particularly looking forward to having more conversations with members of the disability community, he said Tuesday, and learning their stories so he can better work for them and be their voice for change.

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Flores’ new role will see him support children, youth and adults with varying abilities by raising awareness of their rights and the services available to them and their families. He will also be tasked with making recommendations for improvements based on his work.

Flores’ appointment Tuesday follows a long wait.

In May 2017 the legislature voted unanimously to establish the advocate role to promote the rights and interests of people with disabilities; it took the government a year to post a recruitment ad for the position.

In the meantime, 1,300 Albertans gave feedback about what the advocate role should look like.