labour

Two meat-packing plants in southern Alberta have given rise to nearly one in six of Alberta’s 3400 cases of COVID-19. Athabasca University's Bob Barnetson and Jason Foster examine what went wrong at the two meatpacking plants, what it tells us about the inadequacy of OHS policy in Alberta and how the incidents could have been avoided.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has suggested that the federal government should bail out oil and gas companies in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the Saudi-Russian price war. In this blog researcher Ian Hussey explains why that would be a bad idea.

Alberta Budget 2020, released on February 27, continued the UCP commitment to deep spending cuts in public services. Parkland Institute research managers Ian Hussey and Alison McIntosh outline some of the budget's key components.

Parkland Institute research manager Ian Hussey highlights the community case study on the municipal district of Parkland County from his recent Corporate Mapping Project report, co-written with Emma Jackson, that analyzes Alberta’s coal phase-out to date.

Athabasca University labour relations professor Bob Barnetson analyzes the UCP's Bill 26, which repeals many of the gains Alberta farm workers gained with 2015’s Bill 6, adds new exclusions, and strips agricultural workers of many basic employment rights. 

The UCP government tabled its first budget on October 24—an austerity budget with cuts not seen in a generation. Parkland Institute research managers Alison McIntosh and Ian Hussey outline some key takeaways and impacts from the budget.