Bud Melnyk hopes provincial government will reconsider oversight of ALF
Bud Melnyk, president of the Law Society of Alberta, has expressed the organization’s commitment to doing what it can to support the efforts of the Alberta Law Foundation (ALF) as it rebuilds its staff and operations.
In a recent letter posted on the law society’s website, Melnyk explained that extending such support will help the regulator fulfill its obligation of safeguarding the public interest.
His letter drew attention to the links between the law society and ALF, though they operate independently from each other.
According to Alberta’s Legal Profession Act, 2000, ALF’s main revenue source is interest from Alberta lawyers’ pooled trust accounts, which the law society oversees. Alberta’s justice minister, the law society, and ALF’s board of directors appoint the ALF board members.
Melnyk emphasized the importance of responsibly managing and allocating interest generated from lawyer trust accounts and using such interest in line with ALF’s statutory mandate.
In January 2026, the law society’s benchers appointed current bencher Ron Sorokin and past law society president Ken Warren to the ALF board.
“Ron and Ken are both well respected senior lawyers with vast experience in the legal and broader community and they are well positioned, along with the rest of the ALF’s board, to steward an early return to internally staffed operations,” Melnyk said.
He recognized the ALF board’s recent progress in its work relating to funding programs and projects within its mandate.
“While vital operations are continuing without interruption under the external administrator, we recognize that this is only a short-term solution and that grantees and other stakeholders are eager for a more sustainable long-term resolution,” Melnyk said.
Melnyk shared that the law society has been considering other ways to help ALF stabilize its operations and services. He noted that Shamsher Kothari, ALF board chair, recently stated that:
“…the Foundation continues to operate as close to normal capacity as possible, and we are focused on continuing to deliver for our vital grantees and stakeholders. All approved grant payments have been disbursed, and we are actively adjudicating a new collection of applications that will expand access to legal services, legal education, and justice for all Albertans. Also, we are on schedule to continue the normal grant intake processes and the Foundation’s financial situation remains strong and healthy. As a Board, our goal has been, and continues to be, to ensure little-to-no impact to the flow of funds to grantees, as we go through this transition period over the next few months.”
Melnyk described this excerpt from Kothari’s statement as comforting.
Context of changes
Melnyk’s letter acknowledged last year’s public controversies in connection with ALF, which resulted in statutory changes that significantly strengthened the Alberta government’s oversight role.
Early last January, ALF’s executive director and all its staff simultaneously resigned with two weeks’ notice. Melnyk noted that the foundation’s current management comprises a new board with five directors appointed between early October 2025 and mid-January 2026, as well as a professional administration team.
“Once we are through this transition period, I am confident that ALF will be a strong and resilient organization operationally, fiscally and from a governance perspective,” he said. “My hope is that the Government of Alberta will, at such time, reconsider its oversight of ALF.”
Melnyk stressed ALF’s crucial role in promoting access and equity within the province’s legal and justice systems.
