ALF V1

Celebrations are underway across the province to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Alberta Federation of Labour, and Calgary trade unionists have plans to mark the Centennial by drawing attention to their city's rich and dynamic labour history.

A 2012 group of trade union and community activists attached to the Calgary & District Labour Council are launching a "Calgary Labour Walk," a project designed to provide a different perspective on the city's history by focusing on places where events of significance to working people took place.

Group leader Susan Keeley says, "While the recent elections may reinforce the idea that the Calgary area has a conservative mindset, history tells us this has long been the centre of a fight for workers' rights. It's important that Calgarian don't forget their history and how working people built the success this city now enjoys. That's why we organized this labour walk."

The group's research has uncovered fascinating stories about the achievements, losses and victories of the workers who built and maintained our city at the same time as they struggled to build a decent life for themselves and their families.

From the stonemasons who cut sandstone in the 17th Avenue Quarry for some of Calgary's grandest buildings to the municipal workers who ran the city, but also spearheaded the formation of Canada's largest union; from the skilled tradespeople who serviced locomotives in the CPR's Ogden Shops to the hospital workers who repeatedly took the government to task with demands for quality healthcare, the workers' history provides a decidedly different view of the way the City was built and maintained.

A number of the identified sites have been incorporated into a large fold-out map of Calgary with images, locations and descriptions, and thousands of copies printed. It will all be launched at 2:00 p.m. on May 5, 2012 at the CUPE 37 Hall at 5112 3 Street SE, Calgary, where transit buses have been engaged and tour guides trained to take people on a tour of the Labour Walk.

Participants are invited to come back to the CUPE Hall for an evening of food, refreshments and a labour history concert, Troublemakers: Working Albertans, 1900-1950, presented by Maria Dunn as part of a province-wide tour to celebrate the AFL Centennial through song.

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For more information contact:

Susan Keeley, Retired CUPE Representative 403-248-2472 [email protected]

Nick Lepora, CEP, VP, Calgary Labour Council 403-278-5216 [email protected]

Winston Gereluk, 2012 Centennial Coordinator, 780-483-3012 [email protected]

Union leaders in B.C. and Alberta are upset with changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program that reduces the time it takes for employers to hire skilled trades people, but the Merit Contractors Association is applauding the federal initiative.

"This is a complete sell out to employers, who want access to cheap labour" said Tom Sigurdson, executive director of the B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council.

"These are vulnerable workers, many unable to speak English and unwilling to complain about unsafe workplaces and abuses to workplace rights."

Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) Diane Finley announced on April 25 that the federal government intends to make the TFW program more responsive to skilled labour shortages.

"Our government is looking at ways to make sure businesses recruit from the domestic workforce before hiring temporary foreign workers, while also reducing the paper burden and speeding up the processing time for employers that have short-term skilled labour needs," said Finley during a tour of Advance Engineered Products Ltd.'s manufacturing facility in Nisku, Alberta.

Employers with a strong track record will receive an Accelerated-Labour Market Opinion (ALMO) within 10 business days.

If approved, it will allow them to hire temporary foreign workers in high-skill occupations, including the skilled trades.

A Labour Market Opinion (LMO) assesses the potential impact that hiring a foreign worker will have on Canada's labour market.

According to Sigurdson, the changes to the program are part of an overall employer's strategy to reduce wages by increasing the supply of cheap exploitable labour.

Sigurdson said employers are complaining that the skills shortage is hurting their ability to proceed with construction projects, but the last survey by the trades council showed unemployment at about 25 per cent for Building Trades unions.

"In B.C. today, we can supply workers for every single trade," he said.

"There is no skills shortage, instead we have a wage shortage."

Alberta union leaders agree.

"We have said all along that the TFW program was being used to drive down the wages paid to Canadian workers and the federal government confirmed this in writing," said Nancy Furlong, secretary treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

Furlong pointed out that changes to the TFW program include a new wage structure, which provides employers with greater downward flexibility.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) said wages that are up to 15 per cent below the average pay for an occupation will be accepted in specific regions.

Furlong argued the reduction in both wages and the processing time of temporary foreign workers will exacerbate the unemployment problem in Canada.

Sigurdson said the wage reduction will only open the door to further abuse of this vulnerable group.

In addition Sigurdson said the changes to the TFW program will have a negative impact on apprenticeship training.

"Where is the incentive to hire apprentices and invest in training when employers can get access to cheap foreign labour?" he asked.

"The government says it wants to support apprentices but instead is willing to provide the training opportunities to TFWs."

Despite these objections, Merit Alberta is very happy with the recent changes.

"While we await an examination of the specific operating rules for ALMO, we are encouraged by this and other recently announced initiatives by the federal government with respect to addressing skills shortages across the country," said Stephen Kushner, president of Merit Contractors Association in Alberta.

"This is but one component of a broad range of domestic and foreign solutions to long term human resource challenges facing our industry."

HRSDC and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) jointly administer the TFW program.

HRSDC is responsible for issuing Labour Market Opinions to employers, while CIC is responsible for issuing work permits to temporary foreign workers.

The new Accelerated-Labour Market Opinion has the following features:

a simplified, online application process;

faster and timelier processing for employers with a good history;

risk-based and random in-depth compliance reviews of employers after LMOs are issued;

enhanced automation to reduce paperwork, and improve capacity to track compliance and share information; and

call centre support for employers.

Employers will have to consent to post-LMO reviews to verify compliance with TFW program requirements.

This involves making a reasonable effort to recruit from the domestic labour force, as well as providing wages and working conditions that are consistent with Canadian standards.

Last month, CIC announced plans to reduce the work experience requirement for eligible temporary foreign workers applying to stay in the country permanently.

The proposed changes to the Canadian Experience Class will reduce the requirement to 12 months of full-time experience down from the previous 24 months.

The change would make it easier for skilled tradespersons to become permanent residents, since their work is often project-based and can be seasonal.

Journal of Commerce, Tues May 2 2012
Byline: Richard Gilbert

Calgary mom tearfully remembers teenaged son electrocuted while helping to erect a party tent

Julie Hamilton knows by heart how many days since her son Tim was killed in a workplace accident (13 years, nine months and 19 days) and how many other lives have been taken since that fateful Stampede night (1,654).

Yet she believes not enough is being done.

During the National Day of Mourning, an annual event to remember workers injured or killed on the job, she asked for stricter legislation and accountability for companies that "disregard" human life.

"What's really wrong is nothing has been done about it," she said.

On July 9, 1999, Tim Hamilton, 19, was setting up a tent for a Calgary Stampede event the next day when a metal pole struck an overhead power line.

The 14,400 volts of electricity killed Tim instantly, and left a co-worker with electrical burns to his feet and hands.

In the end, the party rental company he worked for was fined $100,000 and declared bankruptcy, while charges against the company hosting the event were stayed.

"The prosecutors, the Justice Department have to step up and say this is not going to happen anymore," Julie Hamilton said.

A ceremony was held near Balzac on Saturday afternoon to remember the 123 people killed in workplace-related circumstances, including nine people from Calgary.

Only 39 of those were killed in workplace accidents, 28 in motor vehicle accidents and 56 from occupational diseases.

Andrew Shawman, the Alberta Human Services assistant deputy minister for workplace standards delivery, admits the current legislation regarding workplace health and safety is outdated.

"There has been public consultation over the next phase in refreshing our legislation and potentially making it clearer to meet industry today," Shawman said. "Industry moves at a pace and clearly it takes us time to catch up, for the legislation to meet the economy of today.

"I wouldn't say we are behind in legislation, but we can always be better."

Gil McGowan, Alberta Federation of Labour president, said part of the problem lies in the lack of health and safety inspectors in the province.

"We should have more health and safety inspectors on the ground, we should be spending more on health and safety programs, and we should be leading the pack in terms of prosecution of employers," he said, noting these aspects are all well behind the Canadian average.

Last year, the Alberta government convicted 20 people of various offences relating to fatalities, injuries and possible exposure to asbestos. This number is up from 11 in 2010.

Currently, there are 16 companies with active charges in Alberta.

"There are a lot of companies working hard to do what's right and then there are companies that don't," Hamilton said, believing the negligent companies should be criminally charged.

Shawman, however, states part of the problems lies in the workplace culture, despite increased education.

"It's an employee responsibility with the employers," Shawman said. "We do see that people take risks and they have their training.

"Roofers will have their training and full protection equipment, but they won't wear it or they'll wear a harness but no rope."

As for Hamilton, she now spends her time talking with companies about how important safety is in the workplace, trying to keep her son's death from being in vain.

"I do it because it feels real good to talk about Tim. In my head, it keeps him alive," Hamilton said, fighting back tears behind her sunglasses.

In Edmonton, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees announced it is working with the University of Calgary to discuss the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on its front-line social workers, which amount to about 2,400 of their 80,000 members.

"A lot of these people, as a part of their profession absorbs your clients' past and to be able to be sympathetic and empathetic, you take on some of that pain and after years, it takes a toll," said AUPE president Guy Smith, a former social worker himself.

While PTSD is typically discussed with returning soldiers, Smith said longtime social workers start to battle depression, emotional displays, appetite, adding it affects everyone differently.

Calgary Herald, Sun Apr 29 2012
Byline: Bryce Forbes

How did the Alberta PCs win a majority in Monday's election when every poll for a month showed them behind the upstart Wildrose Party?

Simple: They united the left and scared the middle.

The Wildrose won 34% in the election — almost all of it from the carcass of the PCs. Those voters were the C in the PC party — the true conservatives.

But instead of trying to win those voters back, PC leader Alison Redford invited new voters into her party — the P's in PC. Progressives. Or, as they're usually called, Liberals.

In the last Alberta election, the Liberals received a hearty 26.4%. (By contrast, Michael Ignatieff's Liberals got less than 19% nationwide.)

Redford spoke to those 26.4% with a compelling argument: You'll never elect a Liberal government in Alberta. So why not vote for a party that believes in the same things, but just calls itself PC?

Redford said she would consider a coalition government with the Liberals or NDP, but not with the Wildrose. She couldn't have been plainer — she wanted Liberals to vote for her, and those frightening Albertans considering the Wildrose? Well, good riddance to them.

And it worked. The Liberal Party plunged to less than 10% this time. Most voted for the Liberal who could win: A PC named Redford.

It was a unite-the-left strategy, to keep out Wildrose.

When Tom Olsen, Redford's spin doctor, attacked the federal Reform Party and Deborah Grey on TV, true conservatives saw it as a gaffe. When Redford put out an ad mocking their "father's" PC party, when Redford specifically distanced herself from Ralph Klein's record as a fiscal conservative, it looked like a mistake.

But those weren't errors. Conservatives had long ago left the party. They were never coming back. It was all about attracting Liberals. And it worked splendidly.

That's how Redford won the PC leadership in the first place, by inviting in temporary Tories — teachers' union members who flooded in just for the vote, and who were immediately rewarded with a $100-million gift when Redford won.

She just did that again last week on a province-wide scale.

It almost didn't work. Because even with the addition of almost 150,000 Liberal voters to the PCs, the Wildrose briefly pulled ahead during the campaign, as Albertans took a look at their leader Danielle Smith and liked what they saw. But that's the thing ­— it was brief.

A few poorly worded comments from Smith's less well-known and less likeable candidates were the spark for a two-week bombardment of negative ads by the PCs and their liberal allies — including the Alberta Federation of Labour and its 1.5 million robocalls.

The massive attack in the last half of the campaign had its effect. It was enough to scare 10% of the Wildrosers back to the PCs.

It wasn't a pretty way to win, but so what — a win is a win. Final score: PCs 44%, Wildrose 34%. Which meant 61 seats to 17.

So Smith isn't going to go from being a novice to premier in one leap. But maybe she'll do it in two leaps. That's how Peter Lougheed did it. In 1967, his PCs only won six seats. Albertans wanted to size them up for four years before giving them a majority.

Or take Stephen Harper. In the 2004 federal election, polls briefly suggested he might win. Voters pulled back after a massive Liberal fear attack. But in 2006 — after a lacklustre term by Paul Martin, a term where Harper proved himself to be unscary — he finally won.

The challenge for now is Redford's: What rewards can she give her new Liberal base that won't drive the remaining true conservatives to the Wildrose? The next four years will be interesting.

Toronto Sun, Sat Apr 28 2012
Byline: Ezra Levant

High death rate shows more must be done to protect workers, says labour groups

A monument to dead workers will be unveiled in Edmonton on the National Day of Mourning tomorrow (Saturday), but the death toll at Alberta workplaces shows little sign of slowing down.

"There are 123 families in Alberta who are grieving for the family members they lost last year, people who died last year as a result of going to work," says Brian Henderson, president of the Edmonton and District Labour Council (EDLC).

"While it's a drop from the previous year's total of 136 dead, it's still higher than two years ago, when 110 were killed. Year after year, we see too many workers die in Alberta. This is a dangerous place to work and we need to do more to keep Albertans safe," he said.

The monument to Alberta's Broken Families will be unveiled in Edmonton's Grant Notley Park at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. Made of stainless steel, granite and concrete, the obelisk stands 14 feet tall and 10 feet wide at the base. On each of the four sides, a family is seen, cast in bronze – but with one family member missing - one family member who went to work, but didn't come home.

"This monument not only commemorates those who have died before, it aims to educate people so future deaths can be prevented," says Henderson. "It is fitting that it will be in the park named after Grant Notley, the former MLA and leader of the NDP, a great public servant who lost his life in a 1984 plane crash while representing the people of this province."

The family of Grant Notley gave their permission for the obelisk to be located in the park. "I know what it's like to lose a beloved family member," says Rachel Notley, newly re-elected NDP MLA for Edmonton Strathcona. "My father died in a plane crash while working for the people of Alberta. Having this monument in the park that bears his name just feels right."

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) says that while the government has taken small steps to improve workplace safety, including a limited increase in the number of safety inspectors, much more needs to be done.

"The government has still failed to respond to a judge's three-year-old recommendation to include agricultural workers in healthy and safety legislation after an inquiry into the death of Kevan Chandler. It is shameful that Alberta farm workers are denied the basic rights of all other workers – the right be covered by Employment Standards and Occupation Health and Safety rules and to refuse to do unsafe work and to," he says.

"Premier Alison Redford publicly promised to fix this while she was running for the leadership of her party. Now that she's won an election, we expect her to fulfil this pledge to protect vulnerable Alberta workers," says McGowan.

Henderson, Notley and McGowan will be among the speakers at the unveiling ceremony, as will the artist who created the obelisk, Memi von Gaza.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Brian Henderson, EDLC president, 780-940-6797

Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888

National Day of Mourning events around Alberta:

National Day of Mourning ceremonies will be held in communities around the province, including:

• April 27th – Calgary and District Labour Council – Wreath-laying ceremony and memorial service at 11:00 a.m., at the City of Calgary Workers Memorial (Edward Place Park, SW corner of City Hall, 9th Avenue and MacLeod Trail S.E.);
• April 28th – Edmonton and District Labour Council – "Broken Families Obelisk" dedication and ceremony – 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Grant Notley Park, 11603 – 100 Avenue;
•  April 28th – Yellowhead Labour Council – ceremony at 11:00 a.m., Jesse Turgeon Park (Guild – across from the mill), Hinton;
• April 28th – Fort McMurray & District Labour Council, 11:00 a.m., Howard Pew Memorial Park, Tolen Drive (Railway Avenue), Fort McMurray; and
• April 28th – Medicine Hat and District Labour Council, 11:00 a.m., at the Memorial at the foot of Scholten Hill, Medicine Hat.

Juno-nominated folksinger's tour celebrates 100 years of labour history

One of Alberta's best-known folk singers is coming to Medicine Hat to present stories about the early years of Alberta labour through song.

Maria Dunn will lead a trio of performers into Medalta Potteries on Thursday evening, May 3, 2012 to kick off a province-wide tour as part of the Centennial celebrations of the Alberta Federation of Labour. The tour, which consists of 13 concerts, will wrap up in the Crowsnest Pass during its Doors Open Festival on the August long weekend.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the AFL's Centennial celebrations," says Juno-nominated Maria Dunn. "It is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of the labour movement in Alberta, to remind ourselves where we come from, and to ensure that we preserve these precious, hard-won rights - the right to collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, equal pay for women, public education, living wages, workers' health and safety standards and compensation, public health care, pensions, and so much more."

The Medicine Hat stop is also scheduled as part of the year-long Centennial Program at Medalta Potteries to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Medicine Hat Pottery Company in 1912. Ron Mason, education co-ordinator and head of interpretation at Medalta, also a local artist, will open with a few of songs he has written about work in the clay-works industry. (See the Medalta Centennial Program Guide at http://issuu.com/medalta/docs/medalta-2012-program-guide)

The concert Maria will present is Troublemakers: Working Albertans, 1900-1950, which documents the history of working people in Alberta's early days, depicting the resilience and hope which brought them through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and the Great Depression. She will sing of union organizers, feminists and radicals who led the earliest struggles, attracting the attention and punishment of the authorities. Appearing with Maria Dunn will be Shannon Johnson (fiddle) and Terry Morrison (guitar), both well-known artists in their own right.

This multimedia event will utilize video to introduce as well as situate songs in their historical context, with visual images of the people and the locations in which the stories occurred. In each case, Maria will add her own personal introduction before presenting the song, a combination which will make for an engaging and educational 60-minute presentation.

A Juno-nominated storyteller through song, Maria's lyrics are set to melodies inspired by Celtic and North American folk traditions. Many of the songs in Troublemakers appear in Maria's 2004 CD, We Were Good People, Producer: Shannon Johnson with the McDades, Craig Korth, Byron Myhre, Michael Jerome Browne and others.

This concert, as well as GWG: Piece-by-Piece, the other presentation for this tour, continues a tradition of labour music that has played an important part in the history of work and workers' organizations. Maria has entertained in hundreds of union and political gatherings, fundraisers and concerts across Alberta and Canada, as well as in other parts of the world. She writes her own material and has worked with Ground Zero Productions, Shannon Johnson and such writers as Catherine Cole to produce the concerts that will make up the 2012 Centennial Tour.

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For more information or for tickets, call:

Maria Dunn, 780-430-8560

Quentin Randall, Medalta Potteries at 403-529-1070

Dave Condon, President, Medicine Hat Labour Council, 403-504-8001 [email protected]

Or call: Winston Gereluk, AFL Office, 780-483-3021 [email protected]

Juno-nominated folksinger's tour celebrates 100 years of labour history

One of Alberta's best-known folk singers is coming to the Drumheller Valley to present stories about the early years of Alberta labour through song.

Maria Dunn will lead a trio of performers into the East Coulee School Museum on Sunday afternoon, May 6, 2012 as part of a Province-wide tour to celebrate the Centennial of the Alberta Federation of Labour. Appearing before Maria will be Drumheller native and singer-songwriter Joe Vickers, who will present some of his own songs that were inspired by the rich mining history of the Valley.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the AFL's Centennial celebrations," says Juno-nominated Maria Dunn. "It is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of the labour movement in Alberta, to remind ourselves where we come from, and to ensure that we preserve these precious, hard-won rights - the right to collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, equal pay for women, public education, living wages, workers' health and safety standards and compensation, public health care, pensions, and so much more."

The concert Maria will present in Drumheller is Troublemakers: Working Albertans, 1900-1950, which documents the history of working people in Alberta's early days, depicting the resilience and hope which brought them through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and the Great Depression. She will sing of union organizers, feminists and radicals who led the earliest struggles, attracting the attention and punishment of the authorities. Appearing with Maria Dunn will be Shannon Johnson (fiddle) and Terry Morrison (guitar), both well-known artists in their own right.

This multimedia event will utilize video to introduce as well as situate songs in their historical context, with visual images of the people and the locations in which the stories occurred. In each case, Maria will add her own personal introduction before presenting the song, a combination which will make for an engaging and educational 60-minute presentation.

Troublemakers is presented as part of the Drumheller Valley's second annual Mayday Miners Festival, which will kick-off with a procession in downtown Drumheller on May 5 with people carrying a placard bearing the name of a miner in their family tree. This will be followed by a street festival with Outhouse Games, music, historic characters, and a barbeque. Other events include Pony Days at the Atlas Coal Mine, a display of historic photographs at the new community facility, "Meet a Miner" at historic mine sites, and the Maria Dunn concert at the East Coulee School Museum on May 6. For more information, see www.atlascoalmine.ab.ca/specialevents

A Juno-nominated storyteller through song, Maria's lyrics are set to melodies inspired by Celtic and North American folk traditions. Many of the songs in Troublemakers appear in Maria's 2004 CD, We Were Good People, Producer: Shannon Johnson with the McDades, Craig Korth, Byron Myhre, Michael Jerome Browne and others.

This concert, as well as GWG: Piece-by-Piece, the other presentation for this tour, continues a tradition of labour music that has played an important part in the history of work and workers' organizations. Maria has entertained in hundreds of union and political gatherings, fundraisers and concerts across Alberta and Canada, as well as in other parts of the world. She writes her own material, and has worked with Ground Zero Productions, Shannon Johnson and such writers as Catherine Cole to produce the concerts that will make up the 2012 Centennial Tour.

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For more information or for tickets, call:

Maria Dunn, 780-430-8560

Susan Keeley, Retired CUPE Rep, 403-607-0433 [email protected]

Or contact: Winston Gereluk, AFL Office, 780-483-3021 [email protected]

Juno-nominated folksinger's tour celebrates 100 years of labour history

One of Alberta's best-known folk singers is coming to Lethbridge to present stories about the early years of Alberta labour through song.

Maria Dunn will lead a trio of performers into the Galt Museum and Archives on Friday, May 4, 2012 as the second stop in a province-wide tour that is part of Centennial celebrations of the Alberta Federation of Labour. The tour consists of 13 concerts, and will wrap-up in the Crowsnest Pass during the August long weekend.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the AFL's Centennial celebrations," says Juno-nominated Maria Dunn. "It is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of the labour movement in Alberta, to remind ourselves where we come from, and to ensure that we preserve these precious, hard-won rights - the right to collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, equal pay for women, public education, living wages, workers' health and safety standards and compensation, public health care, pensions, and so much more."

The Maria Dunn concert, which is being hosted by the Galt Museum & Archives, will take place on the eve of a Centennial "Picnic in Park" being organized by a local committee in Lethbridge, the birthplace of the Alberta Federation of Labour 100 years ago.

The concert Maria will present is Troublemakers: Working Albertans, 1900-1950, which documents the history of working people in Alberta's early days, depicting the resilience and hope which brought them through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and the Great Depression. She will sing of union organizers, feminists and radicals who led the earliest struggles, attracting the attention and punishment of the authorities. Appearing with Maria Dunn will be Shannon Johnson (fiddle) and Terry Morrison (guitar), both well-known artists in their own right.

This multimedia event will utilize video to introduce as well as situate songs in their historical context, with visual images of the people and the locations in which the stories occurred. In each case, Maria will add her own personal introduction before presenting the song, a combination which will make for an engaging and educational 60-minute presentation.

Centennial Celebrations on Saturday, May 5th will begin with a "March of Unions" at City Hall, where marchers will gather at 11:15 a.m. for a short ceremony. They will then proceed to the Galt Gardens to kick off a "Picnic-in-the-Park" at 12:15 p.m., with greetings from the City and labour leaders and an introduction of local union presidents. This will be followed by a picnic lunch that will allow adults to relax while children take part in races, face painting, bouncy castles, games and other activities. Music will be provided all afternoon by the Lethbridge Band and the Bamboo Guppies.

A Juno-nominated storyteller through song, Maria's lyrics are set to melodies inspired by Celtic and North American folk traditions. Many of the songs in Troublemakers appear in Maria's 2004 CD, We Were Good People, Producer: Shannon Johnson with the McDades, Craig Korth, Byron Myhre, Michael Jerome Browne and others.

This concert, as well as GWG: Piece-by-Piece, the other presentation for this tour, continues a tradition of labour music that has played an important part in the history of work and workers' organizations. Maria has entertained in hundreds of union and political gatherings, fundraisers and concerts across Alberta and Canada, as well as in other parts of the world. She writes her own material and has worked with Ground Zero Productions, Shannon Johnson and such writers as Catherine Cole to produce the concerts that will make up the 2012 Centennial Tour.

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For information, contact:

Maria Dunn, 780-430-8560

Leslie Hall, Galt Museum, Tel: 403-320-4700 [email protected];

Richard Merrick, President, Lethbridge Labour Council 403-942-1229 [email protected]

Or call: Winston Gereluk, AFL Office at 780-483-3021 [email protected]

Juno-nominated folksinger's tour celebrates 100 years of labour history

One of Alberta's best-known folk singers is coming to Calgary to present stories about the early years of Alberta labour through song.

Maria Dunn will lead a trio of performers into the CUPE 37 Hall, headquarters for Calgary's outside workers, on Saturday evening, May 5, 2012 as part of a Province-wide tour to celebrate the Centennial of the Alberta Federation of Labour. The tour, which consists of 13 concerts, will wrap up in the Crowsnest Pass during its Doors Open Festival on the August long weekend.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the AFL's Centennial celebrations," says Juno-nominated Maria Dunn. "It is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of the labour movement in Alberta, to remind ourselves about where we come from, and to ensure that we preserve these precious, hard-won rights - the right to collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, equal pay for women, public education, living wages, workers' health and safety standards and compensation, public health care, pensions, and so much more."

The Calgary stop will cap off a day in which area trade unionists will be taking the "Calgary Labour Walk," a project for which local trade unionists and activists have identified places in the City where events of significance to labour have taken place. These will be incorporated into a large fold-out map to be used during the tour. Plans are to engage Calgary Transit buses to take people to various sites - then back to the CUPE 37 Hall for the Maria Dunn concert.

The concert Maria will present is Troublemakers: Working Albertans, 1900-1950, which documents the history of working people in Alberta's early days, depicting the resilience and hope which brought them through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and the Great Depression. She will sing of union organizers, feminists and radicals who led the earliest struggles, attracting the attention and punishment of the authorities. Appearing with Maria Dunn will be Shannon Johnson (fiddle) and Terry Morrison (guitar), both well-known artists in their own right.

This multimedia event will utilize video to introduce as well as situate songs in their historical context, with visual images of the people and the locations in which the stories occurred. In each case, Maria will add her own personal introduction before presenting the song, a combination which will make for an engaging and educational 60-minute presentation.

A Juno-nominated storyteller through song, Maria's lyrics are set to melodies inspired by Celtic and North American folk traditions. Many of the songs in Troublemakers appear in Maria's 2004 CD, We Were Good People, Producer: Shannon Johnson with the McDades, Craig Korth, Byron Myhre, Michael Jerome Browne and others.

This concert, as well as GWG: Piece-by-Piece, the other presentation for this tour, continues a tradition of labour music that has played an important part in the history of work and workers' organizations. Maria has entertained in hundreds of union and political gatherings, fundraisers and concerts across Alberta and Canada, as well as in other parts of the world. She writes her own material and has worked with Ground Zero Productions, Shannon Johnson and such writers as Catherine Cole to produce the concerts that will make up the 2012 Centennial Tour.

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For more information or for tickets, call:

Maria Dunn, 780-430-8560

Susan Keeley, Retired CUPE Representative 403-248-2472 [email protected]

Nick Lepora, CEP, VP, Calgary Labour Council 403-278-5216 [email protected]

Winston Gereluk, AFL Office at 780-483-3012 [email protected]