CALGARY -- Former chief of the Calgary Police Service Rick Hanson has been appointed the chair of Alberta's new parole board.

The Alberta Parole Board determines parole or early eligibility for those serving sentences in provincial correctional facilities, which are sentences less than two years.

Hanson, who was also a former chief superintendent of the RCMP K division, will serve a three year term as chief with the board.

“I would like to thank Minister Madu for the honour of being appointed as the chair of the newly-created Alberta Parole Board,” Hanson said. “It is a privilege to continue to serve Albertans, and I look forward to working with the other board members. It is our firm commitment to work diligently to make our communities safer.”

Alberta is the third province to have its own parole board, joining Ontario and Quebec.

The province says that by creating the provincial parole board, the government is asserting Alberta's jurisdictional authority while ensuring decisions regarding parole eligibility are made by and for Albertans.

“Given the lack of action by the federal government in addressing Alberta’s request for a fair deal in Confederation, the Alberta government must continue to assert its jurisdictional authority where it can, like a provincial parole board,” said Kaycee Madu, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General

“The provincial government has assembled a skilled, diverse and experienced team, and I have the utmost confidence in the Alberta Parole Board members to deliver fair decisions on behalf of Albertans.”

More members of the Alberta Parole Board include:

  • Randy Anderson – Northland School Board trustee and manager of Indigenous relations at North Lake College
  • Paul Bourassa – director and vice-president of Altia-ABM Inc. (North America)
  • Craig Paterson – lawyer and former chair of central Alberta mental health review board
  • Shelly Takacs – project manager at Alberta Health Services
  • Angela Tripathy – executive leader and general counsel
  • Lisa Wardley – Mackenzie County councillor in Zama City

Members will be serving either two or three year terms.

The board will begin running on Feb. 1.