Jason Foster
Jason Foster is the director of Parkland Institute and a professor of human resources and labour relations at Athabasca University. Jason is the author of Gigs, Hustles, & Temps (2023) and Defying Expectations: The Case of UFCW Local 401 (2018), as well as co-author of Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces (2016). His research interests include workplace injury, union renewal, labour and employment policy, and migrant workers in Canada. He is committed to sharing research to as broad an audience as possible, so that it might contribute to policy change and making people’s lives better.
Twitter: @ABworkprof
Why is Your Educational Assistant on Strike? Ask the UCP
blog | Mar 13, 2025Education support workers are striking across Alberta. The strikes are causing significant disruption for families, placing strain on teachers, and impacting the education kids receive. It is in everyone’s interest that these disputes get settled so these important workers can get back to their jobs. So why aren’t things getting settled? Ask the UCP government.
Method in the Madness: The UCP’s plan for Alberta
blog | Jun 04, 2024So much has been happening in our politics that Albertans can be forgiven for feeling disoriented. It’s easy to focus on the latest bombshell as previous pronouncements fade. But it’s important to take a step back to see what patterns emerge. When we do, we find that the government’s flurry of activity indicates something more methodical is going on.
Sunshine Lists in Review: Shine the light on senior executives, not average workers
blog | Apr 18, 2024Almost 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.
A Thumb on the Scale: Alberta Government Interference in Public-Sector Bargaining
research | Feb 19, 2024In 2024, about 200,000 public-sector Alberta workers will be negotiating new contracts. This report examines the ways governments, and specifically the Government of Alberta, interfere in public-sector collective bargaining. It also explores how this growing interference may impact the 2024 bargaining round. The report concludes by offering several options for how public-sector workers and their unions can respond to growing government interference, both at the bargaining table and through increased political pressure.
Six Worries for Workers This Labour Day: What can we expect from the re-elected UCP government?
blog | Sep 04, 2023What 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.
Alberta Charities to Lose Millions Under Bill 32: Survey Reveals Unions Reducing Support to Organizations by 38%
research | Sep 19, 2022The UCP government’s Bill 32 will cost Alberta charities millions in lost donations. Based on an extensive survey of Alberta unions, this study shows how the law’s ‘opt-in’ provisions — which took effect in August 2022 — will affect the non-profit sector.
Bill 32 Regulations Further Tip the Balance in Favour of Corporations
blog | Dec 21, 2021When the Alberta government passed Bill 32: The Restoring Balance in the Workplace Act in the summer of 2020, a number of observers noted the many ways in which it unfairly targeted unions and their members. My Parkland Institute report analyzing Bill 32, however, made it clear that changes like those in the Act have broader implications for the rights of ALL Albertans. The report, Tipping the Balance, concluded that the legislation represented an Americanization of labour relations in Alberta and that many provisions undermined rights protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
From Concept To Action—Implementing a Just Transition In Alberta
blog | Jul 30, 2021The climate crisis, low oil and gas prices and accelerating automation in Alberta’s oil and gas industry has reignited decades-long pleas to diversify the province’s economy and has strengthened calls for a just transition.
Tipping the Balance: Bill 32, The Charter and the Americanization of Alberta’s Labour Relations System
research | Jul 15, 2021A new report shows that Bill 32: Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act (2020) moves Alberta’s labour relations environment closer to the U.S. model to the detriment of workers in the province. Many of the bill’s provisions touch upon rights enjoyed by all working people and all Albertans generally, and the bill has the potential to profoundly impact the direction of Alberta’s economy.
Bill 47 Pt. 2 - Less Compensation for Work-related Injuries
blog | Nov 12, 2020This is the second of two blog posts examining Bill 47. This post focuses on changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act. These changes save employers money by reducing the likelihood of injured workers receiving benefits and reducing the value of those benefits. Bill 47 also makes it harder for workers to appeal decisions and reduces the likelihood of returning to their job once recovered.