research | Apr 27, 2018
Based on a survey of 2,000 Alberta workers, this report looks at the failure of the occupational health and safety system to keep workers in the province safe, and makes recommendations to reduce the number of occupational fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.
blog | Sep 15, 2017
The Alberta government is reviewing its Occupational Health and Safety Act for the first time since it was enacted in 1976. Based on the results of a recent worker survey, here are suggestions for changes that can be made to increase worker and workplace safety.
blog | May 29, 2017
Bill 17 would introduce the first substantive changes to Alberta's labour legislation in 30 years. Bob Barnetson looks at what the new rules would mean for Alberta workers.
blog | Feb 24, 2017
A 2015 report prepared for the former Progressive Conservative government and released after a freedom of information request reveals the extent of farm worker injuries and a lack of adequate insurance coverage for paid employees on farms.
blog | Jan 05, 2017
Bill 6 (the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act) extends basic occupational health and safety rights to paid Alberta farm workers, but recommendations from a government-appointed working group on employment standards would weaken those basic protections.
research | Apr 27, 2016
Newspapers are one of the main public sources of information about workplace injuries and fatalities, but the analysis in this report suggests Alberta newspaper articles are creating an inaccurate picture of workplace incidents.
blog | Mar 16, 2016
The provincial government has introduced Bill 4, which gives most public sector workers the right to strike for the first time in decades. Athabasca University labour relations professor Bob Barnetson looks at what impact the legislation could have on labour relations with the province's workers.
blog | Dec 08, 2015
The Alberta government's Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, has become the most contentious legislation of NDP government's short tenure. Athabasca University professor of labour relations Bob Barnetson looks at five of the main arguments against the bill.
blog | Nov 25, 2015
Alberta’s regressive labour laws have played an important role in making Alberta the least unionized province in Canada. Athabasca University associate professor of labour relations Bob Barnetson outlines five potential changes that could ensure workers in the province can exercise their associational rights.
research | Sep 08, 2015
Most Albertans will hold a job at some point during their teen years. Yet teens employed in Alberta face widespread illegality and injury on the job, and Alberta does not effectively enforce the employment laws that are supposed to protect teen workers, including the Employment Standards Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
