Recent Research
Alberta’s Union Advantage
Wages, Equity, and the Power of Collective Bargaining
Despite years of conservative governments undermining labour rights and restricting collective bargaining, the union wage advantage — the gap between average earnings of unionized and non-unionized workers — remains strong in Alberta. This report draws on new data to show how unionization strengthens wages and benefits while promoting fairness for women, immigrants, and precarious workers across the province.
Ripple Effects
The Drug Toxicity Crisis and Its Impact on Frontline Health Workers
Based on a scientific survey of over 500 health workers, this report shows how Alberta's toxic drug crisis impacts frontline health workers as daily issues of inadequate equipment and treatment options, lack of managerial and government support, and insufficient knowledge about drug poisoning put them in a position of having to do more with less.
Recent Blog Posts
Poisoning Labour Relations
The Consequences of Alberta’s Teachers’ Back-to-Work Legislation
With teachers having been legislated back to the classroom and schools now operating as usual, it is important to see the Back to School Act, and its use of the notwithstanding clause, in its broader context and talk about the consequences of its passage on workers, unions, and labour relations in Alberta and Canada.
The drug-poisoning crisis in Alberta continues unabated, after nearly a decade of record numbers of deaths. Fatalities are the most tragic and visible consequence, but the prevalence of a toxic drug supply also creates ripple effects that impact families, communities, and the health-care workers who seek to mitigate harm, provide care, save lives, and assist the grieving.
Sabotaging Prevention
Alberta’s ‘Preventative Health’ Ministry Is Anything But
The Alberta government has justified its new protocols for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines by claiming they will minimize wastage, save money, and prioritize the most vulnerable. In this blog, Parkland Institute research manager Rebecca Graff-McRae reflects on her personal experiences with trying to access vaccines, and debunks the government's claims.