The Alberta Law Foundation is facing a major upheaval after all 14 of its employees resigned, following new provincial legislation that gives Alberta’s justice minister greater control over how the organization is run.
Edmonton lawyer Moira Rose Vane says she and fellow board member Paul Chiswell were informed this week that the Law Society of Alberta had removed them from the foundation’s board. Vane also confirmed that the entire staff submitted their resignations on Jan. 5 in response to Bill 14, which expands the minister’s authority over the foundation’s governance.
Vane suggested her removal was connected to “challenging” the government, though she did not specify the issue. She said she has always acted in the foundation’s best interests and described the decision as “an act of appeasement.”
Law Society president Stacy Petriuk confirmed both lawyers are no longer on the board, with two new members—Ronald Sorokin, KC, and Kenneth Warren, KC—appointed last week. She thanked Vane and Chiswell for their service.
A spokesperson for Justice Minister Mickey Amery declined to comment on the staff resignations but said the minister’s involvement is intended to ensure the foundation’s long-term financial stability and proper distribution of funds to legal services organizations.
Bill 14 allows the minister to require the foundation to create bylaws and gives the government power to amend them or issue directives.
The resignations are the latest development in a year-long dispute between the United Conservative government and the foundation, which was created in 1973 to manage the interest earned on lawyers’ trust accounts. The money—often tens of millions annually—funds legal clinics, libraries, and community programs.
Tensions last year
Tensions escalated last year with Bill 39, which foundation officials said would politicize the grant-making process and shift responsibility for legal aid funding onto the foundation. Two UCP‑appointed board members resigned at the time in protest.
Bill 14
Bill 14 introduces further changes requiring government approval for bylaw amendments and giving the justice minister broad authority over foundation operations. Legal groups, including the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association, warn that political influence could undermine the organization’s independence.
They also raised concerns about reports of “mass resignations,” noting that major staff turnover could disrupt the foundation’s work.
The legislation also affects the Law Society of Alberta, limiting its ability to mandate continuing education and granting the justice minister immunity from professional‑conduct sanctions for actions taken in an official capacity.
Foundation executive director Byron Chan declined to comment on the resignations. The government says the foundation will provide an update in the coming days.
Quick notes on Bill 14
Bill 14 gives Alberta’s justice minister significantly more control over:
- How the Alberta Law Foundation is run
- Which referendum questions Albertans can pursue
- Whether those questions can be reviewed by the courts
These changes have raised concerns from legal groups who say the law reduces independence and increases political influence over the justice system.
