Almost a decade after the NDP government passed the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act (PSCTA), the act is under review. The PSCTA created the so-called “sunshine lists” hoping public disclosure would work to curb financial excess by senior executives. But it needs changes to protect average public-sector workers.

Is the Alberta we are hoping to build made possible by Budget 2024? How will we meet the immediate and long-term needs of a rapidly growing province, in a rapidly changing political, economic, and environmental context? When we look in the mirror, what Alberta do we see?

Premier Smith’s pre-budget address announced the dawn of an era of permanent austerity and chronic underfunding for the province. Maybe someone should’ve explained to the UCP that the goal of ending the fiscal roller coaster was always to land at the middle, rather than getting stuck at a permanent bottom. This blog analyses why Smith decided to run this particular play — and why now.

In this opening installment of Parkland’s two-part blog series on Alberta pensions, the authors examine the history of pension plans in Canada and Alberta, setting the stage for understanding the UCP's pension policies and their current proposal of an Alberta Pension Plan. For a recent history and analysis of the UCP's stance on public pensions, please read the blog “Navigating the UCP’s Pension Agenda,” by Bob Ascah.

In this final installment of Parkland’s two-part blog series on Alberta pensions, the author explores the UCP's stance on public pensions, offering context from Alberta's recent history to frame the discussion of the Alberta Pension Plan proposal. For a history of pension plans in Canada and Alberta, please read the blog “Ensuring Dignity in Retirement,” by Baldwin Reichwein, Richard Ramsay, and Jake Kuiken.

Bill 6, the Public Health Amendment Act, 2023, proposes fundamental changes to the management of public health emergencies by shifting authority for major decisions from public health officials to cabinet. This blog explores the ramifications of Bill 6 and makes the case for changes that would allow for more transparency and informed decision-making in future health crises.

For good reason, China’s election interference has sparked outrage in Canada. But China’s ability to sway a broad spectrum of Canadian voters is far weaker than the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producer’s (CAPP) foreign-funded political interference. Most oil and gas companies in Canada are foreign-owned and funded, and they use a loophole to fund election activities. This loophole must be closed.

When launching its report on an Alberta Pension Plan (APP), the government asked Albertans to “look at the facts” and engage in the discussion. But “facts” are sorely missing in the report—and the invitation to discuss the APP excludes the most important question: do Albertans really want out of the CPP?

What can Alberta workers expect from this United Conservative Party government? The UCP’s first term cheapened labour costs for employers, while its 2023 election platform contained few promises related to labour and employment matters. This post presents six labour-related issues that should be on every worker’s radar over the next four years.

AHS is ending its contract with DynaLIFE and transferring it to Alberta Precision Labs, the public provider of medical laboratory services. The move to bring community lab testing back in-house under APL is a necessary step in the right direction, one that advocates and workers have been calling for from the beginning. But it is merely delivering first aid for a hemorrhaging patient. This blog post discusses a series of critical questions that need to be answered if we want to understand what the next step for Alberta’s laboratory services should be.