It should be obvious by now that if a society wants to keep long-term care for the frail and elderly from turning into a deadly nightmare during pandemics, it must ensure privately run long-term-care centres provide their employees with the same wages, benefits and working conditions as those who work
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Politics and its Discontents: Pandemic: The Lessons On Offer
To say that our current Covid-19 global crisis is causing us to rethink many things is to state the obvious. Far and wide, people are coming to new understanding about their priorities, their values, and their attitudes toward others. Suddenly, that spa treatment isn’t so urgent; the coveted new outfit
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta Government and AUPE sign tentative agreement for three-year public service contract
The Alberta Government and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees both announced yesterday they’ve signed a tentative agreement on a new collective agreement covering the union’s approximately 23,000 members who work directly for the provincial government. This is the group of public employees the union accurately calls “front-line government service
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Remember when those confident British voters chose ‘hope over fear’ with Brexit? What Would Jason Tweet now?
While much of the world looked on in dismay as the results of the Brexit votes rolled in two years ago last month, Jason Kenney Tweeted his congratulations to the people of Britain for “choosing hope over fear by embracing a confident, sovereign future, open to the world.” How’s that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta public employees, subject to constant Wildrose and media vilification, win national award for effective service
PHOTOS: An image of the May 2016 Fort McMurray fire taken by Alberta Government photographer Chris Schwarz. Below: The Wildrose Party sees government workers like forest fire fighters (GoA photo) and Licensed Practical Nurses (AUPE photo) as “union bosses.” Just guessing, but you probably won’t read much news coverage about
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Medical transport is an essential service, and properly so – it’s time to start treating it like one
PHOTOS: Medical air transport – an essential service too important to be left to private insurers and their ilk. Below: Amy and Amelia Savill (CTV News) and Alberta Health spokesperson Timothy Wilson (Linkedin). So now we need to buy medical-travel insurance when we travel inside Canada? Who knew? Certainly not
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta government confused by plan to give ‘non-essential’ workers paid time off at Christmas, New Year’s
The children of unionized Alberta public employees enjoy Christmas at home. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad had to be at work because the jobs they do are essential. Below: One of the great minds of the Alberta government scratches his head as he puzzles out the problem. (Edmonton Sun photo.) The
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Dan Gardner writes about the Cons’ backup plan of answering their own wrongdoing with criticism of anybody who dares to investigate it – and points out the dangers of that approach: (W)hat happens if Elections Canada delivers a report even a fraction as
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Wall government’s spin on an essential services appeal seems to be largely ignoring some of the most important conclusions reached by Justice Ball in his decision. For those interested in seeing exactly what Justice Ball concluded about Wall’s overreach, see generally paragraphs 174-222 of the decision.
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