ALF V1

Growing up in Duncan, as I did, meant growing up in the airshed of the Crofton pulp mill. No one liked the smell but they liked what it represented — paycheques coming home to families.

The smell of the pulp mill in Duncan and other small towns in B.C. was the smell of jobs.

But Crofton is now Catalyst, and Catalyst is in a rocky situation. Crofton employees from the Cowichan Valley are going north to the oil and gas industry. In fact, half of all flights from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland to Edmonton and Calgary are oil and gas workers.

Not much wonder then that some of the greatest supporters of the oil-fields and pipelines are found in the labour movement.

So while so many others are having a grand time dumping on Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, the Building and Construction Trades Department (AFL-CIO), representing Canada's building trades unions, has an entirely different position.

"Pipelines connect jobs," says spokesman Chris Smillie.

The building trades, Smillie says, support projects that bring jobs to their members, and the pipeline does just that. A billion dollars of investment supports 4,000 jobs, and the Enbridge pipeline is a $5.5-billion investment. It's not jobs at all costs, and the building trades website is clear: "Economic prosperity does not have to come at the expense of environmental care for future generations. . . . The men and women of the Canadian building trades live, work and play in Alberta and British Columbia and have a vested interest in protecting the land."

The building trades also support streamlining the regulatory process. Working people are helped by certainty. Projects get killed by a process that drags on for years.

Smillie had some words of caution regarding the shortage of skilled labour in Canada. All governments, he says, need to support apprenticeship programs and ensure that apprentices complete their qualifications. Companies need to make a point of hiring apprentices.

Canadian immigration policies need to focus more on skilled trades. Current provisions only provide for entry of about 10,000 skilled workers each year, but the country could use 50,000. The United States is our best source of skilled labour, and Canada should encourage American immigration. And, locally, schools must support their shop programs.

The politics of the building trades taking the position they do on the Enbridge pipeline must lead to some interesting conversations.

The B.C. NDP, B.C.'s labour party, is strongly opposed to the pipeline. Yet the Canadian building trades are an influential group, and their support is joined by that of the B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council, and locals of the Construction and Specialized Workers' Union, the Teamsters, the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Welders. Other unions remain opposed, including the Alberta Federation of Labour, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers.

Environmental groups are keeping the province on high alarm about the Northern Gateway pipeline. But working people, those who toil in our resource industries outside of the cosy streets of downtown Vancouver, understand that our province is built on oil and gas, just as in the past it was forests and fish.

It is those workers who keep our province and country ticking. They're hoping that the rest of us are listening.

The Province, July 24 2012
Guest columnist: Suzanne Anton (former Vancouver city councillor)

OTTAWA — A collection of more than 700 stakeholders from the business world, non-government groups, the academic sector and faith-based leaders are calling on provincial and territorial premiers to adopt a new clean-energy accord as a pathway to new jobs and trillions of dollars in ongoing and anticipated global investments in an emerging market.

Andrew Heintzman, president and chief executive officer of Investeco, an environmental investment firm, said the supporters in the plan want governments to "look beyond fossil fuels" such as oil, gas and coal. Instead, he said they should consider larger opportunities to build smart electricity grids, promote energy efficiency and clean up Canada's energy sector through specific government policies.

He explained Alberta's oilsands industry, which launched its first commercial operations in the middle of the 20th century, only became a "beacon of private-sector investment," after getting financial support from governments.

"As we all know, it (the oilsands sector) was a very long product of significant government investment over many years that brought it to where it is today," said Heintzman, who heads a firm that manages about $45 million in assets for about 120 investors. "I think that energy policy is usually fairly tied up with government policy. It's just the nature of it."

The stakeholders were brought together by Tides Canada, a charitable foundation that has been fending off direct and indirect attacks from the Harper government and Alberta-based energy company, Enbridge. They have suggested Tides Canada is involved in a conspiracy to shutdown the oilsands sector through campaigns funded by American billionnaires.

But the foundation is urging premiers gathered for the upcoming Council of the Federation meeting to endorse their strategy so Canada can take advantage of an anticipated $3 trillion dollars worth of anticipated investments around the world in clean energy technologies and jobs over the next decade.

In a recent report released last spring - entitled "Towards a Clean Energy Accord" - Tides Canada noted the country contributes to about two per cent of the global economy, but only accounts for about one per cent of the global clean technology market.

"Indeed, we will not likely make the needed changes to compete as a nation unless each government sees itself as part of a larger effort to do so," said the report. "We can and must capture a greater share of the jobs and opportunities presented by the energy transition. We can also follow through on our international commitments to reduce our carbon emissions."

The Tides Canada recommendations have also been accepted by unions such as the Alberta Federation of Labour, industry lobby groups such as the Canadian Wind Energy Association, environmental groups such as the David Suzuki Foundation as well as academics such as climate change scientist Andrew Weaver.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford has also asked other premiers and the federal government to support her own calls for a national energy strategy that would pull together different regional economic sectors with complimentary policies.

She has suggested Canada could then lead the world on issues such as energy supply, innovation and efficiency as well as climate change through such a strategy that would also support growth in the oilsands.

The Tides Canada report also noted the International Energy Agency, a partnership of governments from around the world that offers advice on energy policy, suggested last April that dramatic changes were needed to prevent consumption of fossil fuels and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions from driving global temperatures more than six degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and causing irreversible changes to the Earth's climate and ecosystems.

The Province, Tues July 17 2012
Byline: Mike De Souza

EDMONTON - A live audience heckled and booed Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith at a leader's debate Thursday after she said she isn't convinced that climate change is real.

Smith, the front-runner in the race to become Alberta's next premier, was poised and unflappable despite the deafening jeers from the crowd.

"We've been watching the debate in the scientific community, and there is still a debate," Smith said. "I will continue to watch the debate in the scientific community, but that's not an excuse not to act."

Smith said she is frustrated by the climate change debate because politicians set impossibly high targets then do nothing to achieve them. She said the Wildrose will take a different approach, putting in place "constructive policies" that reduce overall emissions.

"Having consumer rebates, so people can make home renovations, do energy audits, switch to micro-generation, get a new hybrid vehicle or natural gas, switch to natural gas powered electricity," she said. "All of these things will have a really positive impact on reducing greenhouse gases, reducing overall toxic emissions and also saving Albertans a little bit of money."

She also chastised the Progressive Conservatives for wasting $2 billion on the province's carbon capture and storage program.

Her political opponents piled on.

"Rebates are not going to fix this problem," NDP Leader Brian Mason said. "The science is completely settled. The only people who are disputing it are the phoney scientists funded by the oil industry.

"We need to get serious about it, and we need to have some hard caps on (carbon) emissions. We need to move away from coal-fired electricity generation and we need to fund transit in a big way in this province. ... Denying the science of climate change is just foolish."

Progressive Conservative Leader Alison Redford said denying climate change will undermine Alberta's reputation on the global stage.

"When I go to Washington, and I talk to people in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and I'm trying to talk to them about why we need Keystone, they don't want to hear that I don't believe in climate change.

"They want to know that they have a premier and a leader from our province who understand that this impacts our markets, this impacts our investors, and if we don't take it seriously it's going to impact our economy and our way of life."

Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said the province must put a real price on carbon.

"If we put a real price on carbon, and have the big emitters decrease to 50,000 tonnes a year instead from 100,000, we will generate $1.8 billion a year four years from now," Sherman said. "Half of that goes to industry to green their technology, half of it goes to municipalities on a per-capita basis to green their transportation."

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the Alberta Party acknowledge that climate change is real and proposed a move away from coal-fired electricity and increased emissions standards and steps to more prudently manage water.

A Pembina Institute study released in December said all of Alberta's climate-change strategies put together will cut emissions by 14 megatonnes by 2020, less than one-third of the goal of 50 megatonnes.

The institute issued six recommendations, including a substantial increase to the price of carbon (to $30 per tonne from $15) and requiring companies to pay tax on all of the carbon they emit — not just the current 12 per cent.

The institute also called on the government to "moderate the rate of approval" for new oilsands facilities and to implement stringent, mandatory greenhouse gas intensity standards for those that are approved.

Edmonton Journal, Fri Apr 20 2012
Byline: Karen Kleiss

 Edmonton – The Alberta Federation of Labour applauds the Obama administration’s decision to delay the Keystone XL pipeline, saying it will give the Redford government an opportunity to pursue value-added opportunities here at home, rather than shipping unprocessed bitumen south for upgrading.

“There’s been a parade of Alberta government ministers travelling to the States to sell unprocessed bitumen. Now perhaps those same ministers can stay in Alberta and consider our needs and our future ahead of those of our neighbours south of the border,” says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers.

“Upgrading more bitumen in Alberta will help our province in many ways. Increasing value-added industries will provide quality, long-term jobs for Albertans and Canadians. While good relationships with our neighbours are important, the government of Alberta must promote the long-term health of our province first. Increasing value-added energy industries in Alberta will increase revenues from royalties and taxes,” he says.

“As bitumen is upgraded and moved up the value chain, more funds will flow into the Treasury through higher royalties on finished products. This is money that can be used to pay for important public services like health care and education,” says McGowan.

McGowan took particular exception to the Wildrose Party’s reaction to the delay of the Keystone XL pipeline.

“The Wildrose Party was playing fast and loose with the facts in their media release today. They should avoid fear mongering. The truth is that this pipeline is bad news for quality jobs and bad news for royalties,” says McGowan.

“Danielle Smith is trying to convince us that we’ll lose billions in royalties if the Keystone XL pipeline isn’t approved, but the opposite is true. If we export unprocessed bitumen, we ruin a great competitive advantage,” says McGowan

“The National Energy Board notes that, ‘wide differentials provide refiners with an economic incentive to build heavy oil conversion capacity.’ If we get rid of the prices differential between our bitumen and global crude, we destroy future opportunities to boost our value-added industries,” he says.

“In this context, Albertans should see the Obama administration’s decision as an opportunity, not a disappointment. It is an opportunity for us to move up the value chain and create a more prosperous and stable economic future for Albertans.”

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Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

The Harper government has quietly buried a controversial promise to ban bitumen exports to countries that are environmental laggards, as Alberta and the energy industry formalize plans to ship oilsands product to lucrative Asian markets.

One person familiar with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's surprise announcement during the 2008 federal election campaign said the pledge was simply electioneering at the time and was to be "buried and never seen again."

Alberta's energy minister Ron Liepert also wonders whether the campaign promise is even a government policy any longer, noting the issue has never been discussed with him during his two years in the portfolio.

However, a spokeswoman for federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Wednesday the government policy - designed to halt the flow of raw bitumen and jobs overseas - remains in place but is being regularly examined.

"Our 2008 platform commitment remains in effect. We continue to review on an ongoing basis," said Julie Di Mambro, press secretary to Oliver.

As criticism mounts in the United States over oilsands development - and the potential for additional shipment stateside via the Keystone XL pipeline - Canadian politicians and energy companies have increasingly been eyeing emerging markets such as China, India and Korea.

Space has already been fully booked on Enbridge Inc.'s proposed $5.5-billion Northern Gateway pipeline, potentially linking Alberta's oilsands to energyhungry Asia-Pacific countries.

The line would carry raw bitumen or upgraded synthetic crude 1,170 kilometres from northern Alberta to the port of Kitimat, B.C. The project remains under review by the National Energy Board and could be operational by 2016.

Di Mambro noted the federal government has referred the Northern Gateway project to a joint review panel that's consulting with Canadians.

"We await the recommendations of this panel and remain committed to ensuring that any project is environmentally sustainable," she said.

However, plans for the pipeline to ship oilsands product to the West Coast, and then by supertanker to Asia, seemingly conflict with the prime minister's three-year-old promise.

In September 2008, Harper announced during a Calgary campaign stop his government would halt the flow of oilsands products and jobs to countries with greenhouse gas emission standards weaker than Canada's.

"This is the right thing to do for our environment and our economy," Harper said at the time.

The Conservative policy - which was, at the time, to apply to bitumen exports to China - was to take effect in January 2010 and apply to new export deals and not impact existing contracts. But barely a word has been heard of it since, as billions of dollars of Asian investment flood into Canada's petroleum sector and the federal Tories continue to mend what were once threadbare relations with China. At the same time, companies on both sides of the Pacific have com-bined to pledge billions to build the Northern Gateway pipeline and premiers trumpet the need to feed Asia's insatiable energy appetite.

"That may not even be a policy of the federal government any longer," said Liepert, who notes the federal Conservatives have been very supportive of opening up Asia-Pacific markets.

"It's something that, in the two years I've been in the ministry, hasn't been mentioned to me."

Politicians in Canada point to the oilsands protests in the U.S. as more reason to build Enbridge's Northern Gateway project, increase pipeline capacity to the coast and look for new customers.

Officials with Enbridge said they've heard nothing from the Harper government about the promise and don't expect it will impede shipping oilsands product to new markets.

"It's certainly not an issue that has been raised with us," said company spokesman Paul Stanway. "It's not on our radar at the moment."

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which has been fighting for the federal and provincial governments to keep oilsands value-added jobs in Canada, said he never expected the federal Tories to hold to their pledge.

"When the promise was made, we thought it had more to do with politics than real policy," McGowan said. "It was a reaction to the climate of the day . . . I'm not surprised to see very little is being done to see that policy becomes reality."

Calgary Herald, Thurs Sept 8 2011
Vancouver Sun, Wed Sept 7 2011
Byline: Jason Fekete

EDMONTON — Leaked Alberta cabinet documents suggest the province is worried environmental groups will undermine public support for shale gas development by spreading "misinformation" about health and environmental effects of chemical fracking.

The records show the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers or CAPP has offered to work with the government to "enhance" public relations efforts. CAPP, a powerful industry lobby group, is the only non-governmental organization that will be consulted during inter-governmental talks.

"Shale gas environmental concerns in the media ... are potentially problematic for energy development and environmental management in Alberta," an Aug. 3 briefing note says. "Several initiatives are underway by different groups within government and industry ... to address emerging issues and public interest concerns."

The documents were leaked to the NDP on Thursday, one week after federal documents obtained under access to information laws revealed CAPP helped organize the Alberta government's public relations strategy to polish the image of the oilsands.

A draft project outline attached to the briefing note elaborates on government concerns, saying the public is being exposed to a "mixed package" of information and may not be able to come to an informed decision.

"Environmental non-government organization are supporting an ill-informed campaign on hydraulic fracturing and water-related issues in British Columbia and this is expected to grow as shale gas development expands into Alberta and Saskatchewan," the outline says.

"The New West Partnership lacks a cohesive inter-governmental and inter-agency strategy to address growing public concern in the rapid expansion of shale gas development."

NDP environment critic Rachel Notley called on the government to launch an independent investigation into the safety of hydraulic fracking.

"The Conservative government has already made its decision around the safety and the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing of shale gas," Notley said.

"Having made that decision, they are now proceeding to simply find ways to enable industry to access it as quickly as possible."

She said the documents show the government was"colluding" with other government and industry to manipulate public opinion.

"The Conservative government is working behind closed doors with industry without any kind of public participation," she added.

The briefing note was prepared by environmental policy officials and says "the Ministry of Energy is seeking the support of Alberta Environment for this project."

Energy department spokesman Jay O'Neill said the project outline is a draft document and has not been formally adopted by Alberta. "There were still changes being made to it as late as last week," O'Neill said of the document.

The government has not decided whether to collaborate with CAPP regarding public relations, he said, and he is unaware of any plans to conduct and independent or scientific review of fracking safety.

The leaked document also prompted the Alberta Federation of Labour to call on Alberta's lobbyist registrar to investigate the possibility that CAPP has failed to register to lobby the government on shale gas messaging.

"None of the individuals lobbying the government on behalf of CAPP are registered as CAPP lobbyists," the letter says.

Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, shoots a mix of water, chemicals and sand deep into the earth to break up shale rock and releases oil or natural gas.

The practice is controversial, as critics fear the chemicals will leak into the water supply.

In May, Duke University published the first peer-reviewed scientific study linking fracking activity with drinking water that has become so contaminated it can be lit on fire.

Jessica Ernst, an Albertan from Rosebud, has long claimed her water can be lit on fire due to fire due to fracking activity nearby.

Earlier this month the New York Times published a story revealing that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found drinking water contaminated by fracking as far back as 1987.

Edmonton Journal, Thurs Aug 18 2011
Byline: Karen Kleiss

EDMONTON - A labour group is accusing Alberta of boosting spending on public relations while cutting spending on environmental monitoring.

The Alberta Federation of Labour says since 2003 the provincial government has cut the amount it spends on environmental monitoring, compliance and enforcement by 26 per cent.

During the same time the federation says spending on public relations went up 54 per cent.

AFL President Gil McGowan says the province now leaves most of the monitoring work to industry.

He says recent reports by scientists on water quality downstream of the oilsands shows the industry is not well-equipped to keep tabs on itself.

Alberta Environment officials were not immediately available for comment.

Metro News (Canadian Press), Thurs Sept 24 2010

EDMONTON - The Alberta Federation of Labour says spending on public-sector monitoring of the environment has dropped precipitously in the years that investment in oilsands developments has rocketed.

Their analysis found a 26-per-cent drop in spending on monitoring, compliance and enforcement, and a 54-per-cent increase in spending on public relations since 2003.

Gil McGowan, the federation's president, said they had been hearing from unionized public-sector workers that resources in Alberta Environment had been cut to the bone

Budget documents show Alberta Environment spent $27 million on monitoring, enforcement and compliance programs in 2003, while this year's budget projects spending of $20 million, McGowan said.

"We're not only concerned about the public-sector jobs that have been lost or which were never created as a result of these spending cuts, but we're also concerned about the message that this sends to Albertans and people in markets that buy our products, especially energy products. If the Alberta government was really serious about monitoring the environmental impacts of oilsands development, they would have been spending more, not less, on monitoring."

The issue of proper monitoring has come up repeatedly in the last few years, particularly during the last nine months, as scientists from the University of Alberta released peer-reviewed research that showed oilsands development is contaminating the surrounding watershed. David Schindler, the foremost scientist associated with the research, has called for Environment Canada to increase its involvement in the monitoring of the Athabasca River and the Peace-Athabasca Delta downstream.

Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said he is responding to these calls.

"From my perspective, we have to have good data, and the only way to make sure we are getting that is to bring in the best scientists we have in this country, get their advice on how we should do the monitoring and then we will go from there," he said Thursday. His department is finalizing the membership of a panel that will look at the monitoring.

Alberta Environment spokeswoman Erin Carrier said it's easy for the AFL to cherry-pick line items from a complex budget to support its agenda.

"It is disingenuous to misrepresent information in this way. In no way has Alberta Environment reduced our commitment to monitoring. And our own numbers show that we spent more than $50 million in 2010 in these areas, so that's up from about $37 million in 2003, according to our numbers."

Carrier said because air, land and water monitoring is performed by staff across Alberta Environment, it isn't restricted to just one division.

"When they say cherry-picking, whenever you look at a budget you cherry-pick the line items that are relevant, right?" McGowan said. "So there has been a particular line item that has been consistent over the period, going back to 2003, which says monitoring, reporting and innovation. That's the main one we've used. But we also threw in the numbers for compliance and enforcement. So we added those two together to come to our total."

McGowan said that while spending on environmental monitoring was going down, the amount spent on public relations was going up dramatically, from $717,000 in 2003 to $1.1 million for 2010.

"What that suggests to us is that the government was more interested in spending money on spin-doctoring than on actually monitoring the impacts of development in the province."

Carrier said the increased budget is largely due to the creation of the ministerial correspondence unit.

Edmonton Journal, Thurs Sept 24 2010
Byline: Hanneke Brooymans

AFL analysis shows Alberta government's real priorities − calls for public investment in environmental monitoring and enforcement

Edmonton - The Alberta government decimated program spending on environmental enforcement, compliance, and monitoring while massively boosting spending on public relations in the Ministry of the Environment (Alberta Environment), a new analysis by the Alberta Federation of Labour showed today.

The analysis found a 26% drop in spending on environmental monitoring, compliance, and enforcement and a 54% increase in spending on public relations since 2003.

The AFL examined actual program spending, contained in annual Budget Estimates documents for Alberta Environment, back to 2003. Alberta spent $27 million on monitoring, enforcement, and compliance programs in 2003. Budget 2010 projects Alberta Environment will spend $20 million this year.

The Communications line for Alberta Environment grew from $717,000 in 2003 to $1.1 million for 2010.

The picture is even worse if one counts spending by the Minister and Deputy Minister on their personal offices. Spending by the Minister, Deputy Minister, and Communications ballooned from a combined total of $1.4 million in 2003 to a projected $2.2 million in 2010, a 57% increase.

The budget for monitoring and enforcement dropped steadily during the 2003-2007 oil-sands boom. As Alberta was approving hundreds of oil-sands-related developments, they quietly chipped away at their own ability to monitor the environmental effects of development.

"As federal environment minister Jim Prentice pointed out last Friday, Alberta has privatized environmental monitoring, leaving most of the work to the industry," says Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"We should not be surprised that the science is now showing that industry is not well-equipped for self-monitoring in the oil sands," continues McGowan.

"Environmental monitoring, compliance, and enforcement belong in the hands of public employees working for Alberta Environment. Public funding for monitoring, inspections, and enforcement is the only way to instill public and international confidence in Alberta's oil sands.

"Yet another expensive PR campaign is not the way to ensure the long-term development of the resource for all Albertans," concludes McGowan.

Graphs and sources for the AFL's Environment Budgets Analysis are contained in the attached backgrounder.

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Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

Backgrounder

Graphs:

1. Alberta Environment Spending, Office of the Minister, Deputy Minister and Communications, 2003-2010
2. Alberta Environment Spending on Monitoring, Compliance & Enforcement, 2003-2010
3. Alberta Environment Spending on Communications, 2003-2010

Have your say on health-care reform!

• The Alberta government is hosting 28 "invitation-only" meetings around the province as it plans sweeping changes to the health-care system. Friends of Medicare, supported by the Join Together Alberta campaign, is fighting to make sure the public has a voice by staging eight fully public meetings across the province. For more details ...

Alberta unprepared to keep workers safe if boom times return

• New research released by the AFL shows that government spending on workplace safety has not kept pace with growth in the provincial economy and population - and, as a result, workers around the province are being put at risk, especially if the economy ramps up for another boom. Click here for more information ...

Albertans have a right to a clean environment

• Inspired by NDP MP Linda Duncan's private member's bill to create a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights (Bill C-469), the AFL Environment Committee wants the Alberta government to craft an environmental bill of rights covering the citizens of the province. For full text of the bill ...

Alberta's political landscape is changing

• The emergence of the Wildrose Alliance Party and the fracturing of the political landscape presents challenges and opportunities for the labour movement. Read all about it in the new Spring/Summer edition of the AFL's Union magazine.

Urgent Action

• The Auditor General's report severely criticized the government for failing to enforce workplace safety laws and called for action, including the naming of repeat corporate offenders. The AFL has long fought for stronger health and safety standards and enforcement. Workers have a right to know whether their workplace is safe or not. There is still time to pressure the Employment Minister to act. See the AFL press release on the report and the Auditor General's report - occupational health and safety

Events

• 75th Celebration of On to Ottawa Trek

Saturday, June 5, 2010, Changing Together - Annual Multi-cultural Day (Centre for Immigrant Women) - light supper and entertainment

June 25/26, 2010 - EDLC/CLC Municipal Election Training

June 18, 2010 - deadline for registrations for 2010 AFL Kids' Camp Camp dates are August 9 - 13, 2010

Did you know ...

• Alberta has more workplace fatalities than the national average, at 5.9 per 100,000 workers compared with 4.2 nationally
• The number of Albertans working in the four most dangerous industries has almost doubled since 1991, growing to 620,000 workers from 341,000
• Alberta employs fewer health and safety inspectors than the national average: 1.4 inspectors per 10,000 workers compared with the national figure of 2.1
• Alberta spends less per worker on occupational health and safety today (when 22 per cent of Albertans work in the top four dangerous industries) than the Getty government did in 1991 (when only 15 per cent of Albertans worked in the four most dangerous industries)

For more details ...