diff --git a/lib/browser.ts b/lib/browser.ts
index 2d23dc314..07626413d 100644
--- a/lib/browser.ts
+++ b/lib/browser.ts
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ export class ProtractorBrowser extends Webdriver {
   /**
    * @type {ExpectedConditions}
    */
-  static ExpectedConditions = new ProtractorExpectedConditions();
+  ExpectedConditions: ProtractorExpectedConditions;
 
   /**
    * The wrapped webdriver instance. Use this to interact with pages that do
@@ -320,6 +320,9 @@ export class ProtractorBrowser extends Webdriver {
     this.trackOutstandingTimeouts_ = !opt_untrackOutstandingTimeouts;
     this.mockModules_ = [];
     this.addBaseMockModules_();
+
+    // set up expected conditions
+    this.ExpectedConditions = new ProtractorExpectedConditions(this);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/lib/expectedConditions.ts b/lib/expectedConditions.ts
index 694acd541..cee398ad5 100644
--- a/lib/expectedConditions.ts
+++ b/lib/expectedConditions.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import {ProtractorBrowser} from './browser';
 import {ElementFinder} from './element';
-import {Ptor} from './ptor';
 
 let webdriver = require('selenium-webdriver');
 
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ declare var global: any;
  * @constructor
  */
 export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
+  constructor(public browser: ProtractorBrowser){};
+
   /**
    * Negates the result of a promise.
    *
@@ -155,21 +157,18 @@ export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
    */
   alertIsPresent(): Function {
     return () => {
-      return (<Ptor>global.protractor)
-          .browser.driver.switchTo()
-          .alert()
-          .then(
-              ():
-                  boolean => {
-                    return true;
-                  },
-              (err: any) => {
-                if (err.code == webdriver.error.ErrorCode.NO_SUCH_ALERT) {
-                  return false;
-                } else {
-                  throw err;
-                }
-              });
+      return this.browser.driver.switchTo().alert().then(
+          ():
+              boolean => {
+                return true;
+              },
+          (err: any) => {
+            if (err.code == webdriver.error.ErrorCode.NO_SUCH_ALERT) {
+              return false;
+            } else {
+              throw err;
+            }
+          });
     };
   }
 
@@ -261,11 +260,9 @@ export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
    */
   titleContains(title: string): Function {
     return () => {
-      return (<Ptor>global.protractor)
-          .browser.driver.getTitle()
-          .then((actualTitle: string): boolean => {
-            return actualTitle.indexOf(title) > -1;
-          });
+      return this.browser.driver.getTitle().then((actualTitle: string): boolean => {
+        return actualTitle.indexOf(title) > -1;
+      });
     };
   }
 
@@ -285,11 +282,9 @@ export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
    */
   titleIs(title: string): Function {
     return () => {
-      return (<Ptor>global.protractor)
-          .browser.driver.getTitle()
-          .then((actualTitle: string): boolean => {
-            return actualTitle === title;
-          });
+      return this.browser.driver.getTitle().then((actualTitle: string): boolean => {
+        return actualTitle === title;
+      });
     };
   }
 
@@ -310,11 +305,9 @@ export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
    */
   urlContains(url: string): Function {
     return () => {
-      return (<Ptor>global.protractor)
-          .browser.driver.getCurrentUrl()
-          .then((actualUrl: string): boolean => {
-            return actualUrl.indexOf(url) > -1;
-          });
+      return this.browser.driver.getCurrentUrl().then((actualUrl: string): boolean => {
+        return actualUrl.indexOf(url) > -1;
+      });
     };
   }
 
@@ -334,11 +327,9 @@ export class ProtractorExpectedConditions {
    */
   urlIs(url: string): Function {
     return () => {
-      return (<Ptor>global.protractor)
-          .browser.driver.getCurrentUrl()
-          .then((actualUrl: string): boolean => {
-            return actualUrl === url;
-          });
+      return this.browser.driver.getCurrentUrl().then((actualUrl: string): boolean => {
+        return actualUrl === url;
+      });
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/runner.ts b/lib/runner.ts
index eee47b4c2..7ad8d2eac 100644
--- a/lib/runner.ts
+++ b/lib/runner.ts
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ export class Runner extends EventEmitter {
     protractor.element = browser_.element;
     protractor.by = protractor.By = ProtractorBrowser.By;
     protractor.wrapDriver = ProtractorBrowser.wrapDriver;
-    protractor.ExpectedConditions = ProtractorBrowser.ExpectedConditions;
+    protractor.ExpectedConditions = browser_.ExpectedConditions;
 
     if (!this.config_.noGlobals) {
       // Export protractor to the global namespace to be used in tests.
diff --git a/scripts/sauce_connect_setup.sh b/scripts/sauce_connect_setup.sh
index f0bc12aaf..b259bc469 100755
--- a/scripts/sauce_connect_setup.sh
+++ b/scripts/sauce_connect_setup.sh
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ set -e
 # before_script:
 #   - curl https://gist.github.com/santiycr/5139565/raw/sauce_connect_setup.sh | bash
 
-CONNECT_URL="https://saucelabs.com/downloads/sc-4.4.0-linux.tar.gz"
+CONNECT_URL="https://saucelabs.com/downloads/sc-4.4.1-linux.tar.gz"
 CONNECT_DIR="/tmp/sauce-connect-$RANDOM"
-CONNECT_DOWNLOAD="sc-4.4.0-linux.tar.gz"
+CONNECT_DOWNLOAD="sc-4.4.1-linux.tar.gz"
 
 CONNECT_LOG="$LOGS_DIR/sauce-connect"
 CONNECT_STDOUT="$LOGS_DIR/sauce-connect.stdout"
@@ -52,4 +52,4 @@ sauce-connect/bin/sc -u $SAUCE_USERNAME -k $SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY $ARGS \
 # If you need to debug sauce connect, use the full output like so:
 #
 # sauce-connect/bin/sc -u $SAUCE_USERNAME -k $SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY $ARGS \
-#   --logfile $CONNECT_LOG 2> $CONNECT_STDERR 1> $CONNECT_STDOUT &
\ No newline at end of file
+#   --logfile $CONNECT_LOG 2> $CONNECT_STDERR 1> $CONNECT_STDOUT &
diff --git a/spec/basic/expected_conditions_spec.js b/spec/basic/expected_conditions_spec.js
index 705e08d52..f06e38a34 100644
--- a/spec/basic/expected_conditions_spec.js
+++ b/spec/basic/expected_conditions_spec.js
@@ -176,4 +176,23 @@ describe('expected conditions', function() {
     expect(EC.or(valid, EC.and(valid, invalid)).call()).toBe(true);
     expect(EC.or(EC.not(valid), EC.and(valid, invalid)).call()).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  // TODO(cnishina): enable test when local / sauce labs errors
+  // are resolved.
+  xdescribe('for forked browsers', function() {
+    // ensure that we can run EC on forked browser instances
+    it('should have alertIsPresent', function() {
+      var browser2 = browser.forkNewDriverInstance();
+      browser2.get('index.html#/form');
+      var EC2 = browser2.ExpectedConditions;
+      var alertIsPresent = EC2.alertIsPresent();
+      expect(alertIsPresent.call()).toBe(false);
+
+      var alertButton = browser2.$('#alertbutton');
+      alertButton.click();
+      browser2.wait(EC2.alertIsPresent(), 1000);
+
+      browser2.switchTo().alert().accept();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/spec/basic/handling_spec.js b/spec/basic/handling_spec.js
index da3cd5337..60c359138 100644
--- a/spec/basic/handling_spec.js
+++ b/spec/basic/handling_spec.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ describe('handling timeout errors', function() {
     browser.get('http://dummyUrl', 1).then(function() {
       throw 'did not handle error';
     }, function(err) {
-      expect(err).toBeDefined();
+      expect(err instanceof Error).toBeTruthy();
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/spec/dependencyTest/protractor_spec.js b/spec/dependencyTest/protractor_spec.js
index dec44bdcb..202f1e4c6 100644
--- a/spec/dependencyTest/protractor_spec.js
+++ b/spec/dependencyTest/protractor_spec.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ describe('require(\'protractor\')', () => {
       });
 
       it('should have static variables defined', () => {
-        var staticVariables = ['By', 'ExpectedConditions'];
+        var staticVariables = ['By'];
         for (var pos in staticVariables) {
           var property = staticVariables[pos];
           expect(typeof protractor.ProtractorBrowser[property]).toEqual('object');