By C. Rockarts In March, cities across Canada implemented fare-free public transit and back door boarding to encourage social distancing and curb the spread of COVID-19. On March 20, the City of Edmonton moved to temporarily suspend fare collection on all Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) buses, LRT and DATS services. Now, as many cities ‘relaunch’ Continue readingThe battle in Edmonton for a new kind of transit
Alberta
By C. Rockarts On Thursday, May 14, Alberta “relaunched the economy” and began the first phase of the plan to re-open golf courses, provincial parks, as well as some retail stores, daycares, and museums. While many of the prairie provinces have decided to re-open, the comparison of cases between Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is stark. Continue readingProfits over health in Alberta
By Emily Leedham Workers reveal fear, frustration, and doubt in Cargill’s ability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak at the High River meatpacking plant in a recent Telephone Town Hall. RankandFile.ca obtained an automated transcript of a Telephone Town Hall between members of Cargill plant management, the Alberta Government, Alberta Health Services, and Cargill plant workers Continue readingCargill workers’ frustrations revealed in telephone town hall
Photo via REUTERS/Chris Wattie by C Rockarts On Saturday, March 28, two days before workers were set to return from Spring Break, the UCP government announced the province’s largest mass layoff in history, with $128 million in cuts to funding for 26,000 educational assistants, bus drivers, substitute teachers and other K-12 support staff. The government Continue readingLargest layoff in Alberta history proves workers aren’t Kenney’s priority
What do the prairie budgets say about the values of our provincial leaders? In a time of such uncertainty, how can we formulate a vision of a society that values people over profits? Joel French, Simon Enoch, and Lynne Fernandez discuss the Prairie budgets and what they mean for workers’ futures. AUPE asks for immediate Continue reading2020 Prairie Provincial Budget Review
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney tabled Bill 1: The Critical Infrastructure Defense Act on February 25, 2020. The bill would crack down on Indigenous land defenders supporting Wet’suwet’en sovereignty, but also have implications for labour and other social movements – especially in light of Kenney’s recent austerity budget. University of Alberta professor James Muir explains more. Continue readingWhat does Kenney’s Bill 1 mean for Indigenous, labour and social movements?
By C. Rockarts On Thursday, February 27, over 7,000 teachers, students, and public sector workers rallied in Edmonton in support of maintaining quality public services. The ‘March for What Matters’ was hosted by a coalition of teachers, parents, artists and students. It was organized in response to cuts to education, health care and the looming Continue readingChallenging Alberta’s Austerity
by Emily Leedham On Wednesday February 5, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. CEO Scott Banda gave a shout out to United We Roll, the group responsible for last year’s well-publicized but small convoy to Ottawa claiming to defend oil and gas workers. “…I kind of noticed that United We Roll was here as well,” said Banda. “Thank Continue readingStrange new allies for FCL CEO Scott Banda
by Romy Garrido Knox United Church played host to the newly formed Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, a strikingly diverse coalition of labour unions, religious groups, universities, and community organizations representing more than 30,000 Calgarians.
CUPW Local 730 has sent a letter to CUPW’s national office asking for support in defying back-to-work legislation. CUPW was legislated back to work nearly one year ago, which broke the postal workers’ rotating strike across the country. CUPW Local 730 President Roland Schmidt explains what lead up to this point. —- Alberta’s Bill 20 Continue readingEdmonton posties willing to defy back-to-work
On Thursday, October 24, the Alberta government released the provincial budget, which was nothing short of a brutal frontal assault on province’s public services, workers and the poor. The government outlined it would cut program spending by 2.8% over the next four years. This 2.8%, the largest cut to provincial program spending in 25 years, Continue readingKenney’s cuts
Alison McIntosh, Research Manager at the Parkland Institute breaks down Alberta’s new austerity budget from the United Conservative Party government. A short excerpt from the Chicago Teachers Union podcast CTU Speaks with CTU Chief of Staff Jennifer Johnson explaining the core issues 25,000 Chicago teachers are out on strike for. Lori Bossaer from the Saskatchewan Continue readingFrom Chile to Chicago to Calgary, it’s the same austerity