Monday, February 10, 2020

Alberta nurses union says rollback talk from province is a 'powder keg'

The province is eyeing sweeping reforms on health delivery

The Canadian Press · 


Alberta's nursing pay, benefits and work rules are front and centre as Premier Jason Kenney's government is eyeing sweeping reforms on health delivery, including fundamental changes to how nurses are paid and deployed. (Canadian Press)

The head of the United Nurses of Alberta says she has not seen such regressive contract demands from the province since the strike year of 1988, and says some nurses are wondering if history is going to repeat itself.
"The last time I saw the magnitude of rollbacks tabled by an employer with us was in fact the 1988 round of bargaining," Heather Smith said in an interview. "It's kind of a powder keg."
Alberta's nursing pay, benefits and work rules are front and centre as Premier Jason Kenney's government is eyeing sweeping reforms on health delivery, including fundamental changes to how nurses are paid and deployed.


Asked if strike is a possibility, Smith replied: "Any decision will be [up to the] rank and file, but I do know that it is a subject of a lot of conversations in workplaces.
"Certainly, any time I meet with nurses that is a question that comes up: is this round of bargaining going to end in a strike?"

Heather Smith, president of the United Nurses of Alberta, said she hasn't seen such regressive contract demands from the province in more than 30 years. (CBC)
Alberta's government and its nurses have been locking horns over issues at the contract table and over a benchmark report released last week that calls on Alberta to re-examine wages, benefits, staffing roles and ratios for nurses.
In the current round of bargaining which began last month, the UNA says the government is proposing no wage increases over the next four years along with reductions to overtime, holiday and premium pay.
There would also be reductions in worker scheduling rights and benefits, including eliminating designated rest days for part-timers.
The UNA, which represents 29,000 nurses, has proposed two per cent wage hikes in each of the first two years along with other changes.


Last week, Health Minister Tyler Shandro released 57 recommendations made by Ernst & Young on ways to save money and make the health-delivery system more efficient.
Alberta Health Services, the arm of government tasked with delivering front-line care, is set to come back in mid-May with an implementation plan.
The report says registered nurses make on average just over $94,000 a year, about seven per cent more than the Canadian average, but by working extra shifts and with other premium pay they can earn substantially more.
It found that two-thirds of registered nurses are casual or part-time and that this high number, coupled with attendant pay and scheduling benefits, is not cost-effective and causes scheduling problems.
It says Alberta has higher nursing staffing levels than comparable jurisdictions and that highly skilled staff are being used in situations where lesser skilled staff would do, such as keeping watch on at-risk patients.
Smith says salaries across many professions in Alberta, not just nurses, are higher than average.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said 'I think at the end of the day we're going to have an agreement that works in the best interests of patients.' (CBC)
Shandro stressed much work remains.
"We need to continue to have dialogues with our unions, especially the UNA," Shandro told reporters on Thursday.
"To the extent that any of these recommendations are brought up by either us or them at the negotiating table, I encourage everybody to be able to talk about these issues openly."
"I think at the end of the day we're going to have an agreement that works in the best interests of patients."
Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said the government is "trying to carve out $600 million out of the system on the backs of nurses."
"If you replace nurses with folks with lower levels of education and expertise, what is that going to mean? Lower quality of care. And that is exactly the thing that Jason Kenney promised Albertans that he would not impose on them," she said

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'Significant changes': Alberta eyeing major reforms to health system in 2020

AHS review finds ways to save up to $1.9B — next up is deciding which measures to implement

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Winnipeg's Palestinian community protest recent deal by Donald Trump


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People in Winnipeg took to the street to protest a recent peace deal made by Donald Trump. CTV's Mason Depatie has more.

WINNIPEG -- A group of Winnipeggers took to the streets Sunday to protest a deal made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

More than 50 people attended a rally focused on the recent peace deal created by the United States and Israel.
Trump's self-proclaimed "deal of the century" calls on Palestine to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

READ MORE: Trump Mideast plan cheers Israelis, angers Palestinians

The organizer of the rally and native Palestinian, Rafe Abdulla, doesn't agree with Trump.

"We are the people who live in that area since thousands of years. We have our roots, our land, our homes," said Abdulla.

The peace deal also takes away the right of return from Palestinians and sides Israel on many key issues.

"I think there is lots of Canadians who understand and they don't like the deal," he added.

At the rally, a petition calling for the Canadian government to intervene circulated.

"Everybody I've talked to has signed it. There are probably 40-50 people here. I expect all 40-50 signatures," said Harold Shuster from the Independent Jewish Voices of Winnipeg.

"We need [the government] to stand up and forcefully say that this peace plan is a no go."

François-Philippe Champagne, foreign affairs minister, issued this statement when the deal was announced:

“Canada has long maintained that peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties. We urge the parties to create the conditions for such negotiations to take place," the statement said.

The statement goes on to say, “Canada reaffirms its readiness to support meaningful dialogue between the parties toward a negotiated and viable two-state solution.”

As for Abdulla, any action opposing the deal is welcome. "This is not a deal. What we need is quality, we need justice and we need to live in peace," he said.


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Cree version of 'O Canada' sung at Oilers game by Indigenous teen
 February 8, 2020

Indigenous teen sings anthem in Cree for Oilers



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As CTV Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg reports, a Samson Cree Nation teen sang 'O Canada' in Cree and English for Saturday's Oilers game


EDMONTON -- Singing Canada's national anthem in English and Cree at the Edmonton Oilers game on Saturday was an "amazing and breathtaking" moment for an Alberta teen.


Kiya Bruno, a 14-year-old from the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, was asked by the NHL team to perform as part of the celebration of the 20th Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, hosted by Yellowknife.

"There was a lot of people in the crowd and at the end they started singing along and I heard people cheering as well," Bruno told CTV News Edmonton.

"That was cool."

Bruno is no stranger to large stadiums: In June, she was asked to take her Cree version of "O Canada" to Rogers Centre for a Blue Jays game. 

READ MORE: Edmonton's Kiya Bruno bringing her version of 'O Canada' to the big leagues

It was how the Oilers learned of the young singer, said Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club spokesperson Shawn May.

"We saw that Kiya Bruno sang the anthem for the Blue Jays on Canada Day last year in an English/Cree rendition. So we reached out to them to provide us with her contact info," May explained.

"She is from Samson Cree Nation (south of Westaskiwin) so she’s considered a local in a way."

Bruno said she was shocked when her mom first received the request, as she had never imagined singing for her NHL pick, but quickly excited.

"I'm glad I was able to represent Indigenous peoples across Treaty 6 territory, and just people who speak Cree in general and other Indigenous people."

According to May, Bruno's rendition was the first time the anthem was sung in Cree at Rogers Place.

Samson Cree Nation is about 90 kilometres south of Edmonton.
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Deltaport shut down by protesters supporting Wet’suwet’en as blockades continue in B.C.


BY SEAN BOYNTON GLOBAL NEWS
Posted February 9, 2020 1:17 pm


WATCH: Rallies and protests held around B.C. in support of Wet'suwet'en blockade (Aired Feb. 7)

Workers at Canada’s busiest port got an unexpected day off Sunday, as protesters supporting Wet’suwet’en pipeline opponents blocked access to Deltaport.

The protest group organized by Red Braid Alliance for Decolonial Socialism descended on the Roberts Bank access road to the port near Delta, B.C. Saturday night and remained there overnight into Sunday.

“We’re part of a nationwide movement to shut down Canada in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en,” organizer Isabel Krupp said.

“More than $1 billion of commerce moves through Deltaport every year. We’re shutting it all down. There’s no commercial traffic going in or out of Deltaport today.”


READ MORE: B.C. pipeline protests halt VIA trains in eastern Ontario for 3rd full day

Krupp says the group plans to remain at the port until the RCMP leave the site of the Wet’suwet’en blockade camp in northern B.C., which is attempting to stop work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
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Those looking to start their shift at Deltaport Sunday morning were told to turn back. According to organizers, workers are respecting the blockade and are treating it like a picket line, saying they won’t cross.



Morning shift is here. Brad, who gifted us with sage, has gone and come back with coffee and doughnuts. Other workers came up (a bit prickly) to ask what we’re doing. After we explained, they said “well we want people to respect our picket lines so we should respect yours” pic.twitter.com/ldkRHmuGVw

— Red Braid Alliance for Decolonial Socialism (@stopdisplacemnt) February 9, 2020





ILWU Local 502 approached our barricade with a message of solidarity and told us they will not cross our picket line. There would normally be 300 workers at the Deltaport, but not today – the port is closed!#DeltaportBlockade #WetsuwetenStrong #ShutDownCanada pic.twitter.com/H45PRNQ2I6

— Red Braid Alliance for Decolonial Socialism (@stopdisplacemnt) February 9, 2020

Global News has reached out to the workers’ union, ILWU LOCAL 502, and the Port of Vancouver for more information.

Krupp says the group allowed workers ending their shift Saturday night to leave the port, but only after explaining their message to each of those workers.


READ MORE: Wet’suwet’en supporters block Port of Vancouver for 3rd straight day, stalling port traffic

“Most of them were receptive, and most of them understood the need for working-class solidarity with Indigenous struggles for sovereignty,” she said.

She estimates roughly 250 to 300 workers trying to enter the port were denied access Sunday morning.

Delta Police vehicles could be seen on-site, and Krupp says the protesters have been threatened with arrest. So far, no arrests have been reported.

1:51RCMP make more arrests at Coastal GasLink protest site RCMP make more arrests at Coastal GasLink protest site

Police spokesperson Cris Leykauf said police are monitoring the protest while talking to workers and Global Container Terminals about impacts.
“We’re really there to ensure the safety of the public, the safety of the protesters, and also [safety] for police,” she said. “Our officers have been engaged in a dialogue with the demonstrators, and that dialogue is continuing.”

Leykauf said around 1 p.m. that she couldn’t speculate to how long the protest could last.

Sunday also saw the fourth straight day of demonstrators blocking entrances to the Port of Vancouver, stalling truck traffic attempting to enter and leave the port.
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Vancouver police said the intersections of Clark Drive and East Hastings Street, and Powell Street and Heatley Avenue were closed. The Commissioner Street entrance to the port was also blocked, but the McGill off-ramps are open to traffic.



#VanTraffic: The intersections of Clark and Hastings, and Powell and Heatley, are still blocked to all traffic. The Commissioner Street access to the port is also blocked, but McGill is currently open.

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) February 9, 2020

Saturday saw a long lineup of trucks looking to enter the port spill onto the off-ramp and onto Highway 1, creating heavy delays.

The Port of Vancouver says the days of protests in both Vancouver and Delta have created “significant impacts” to port operations, but adds the specific impacts won’t be known until later in the week.

A large group of protesters also staged a rally at Vancouver City Hall Sunday afternoon, with people calling for the RCMP to withdraw from Wet’suwet’en territory.
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One speaker urged protesters to call Premier John Horgan’s phone number, which she read out to the crowd.


READ MORE: 11 more arrests made as RCMP expand enforcement area for Wet’suwet’en pipeline opponents

Horgan has repeatedly said the Coastal GasLink pipeline is provincially approved and permitted, and says the opponents are in violation of Canadian law by blocking construction.

The protesters later marched from City Hall and closed down traffic as they took over the intersection of Broadway and Cambie Street for roughly two hours.

2:03RCMP arrest more Coastal GasLink opponents RCMP arrest more Coastal GasLink opponents

In Victoria, a group of Indigenous youth has refused to move from the steps of the B.C. legislature since Thursday, and have set up a tent city on the legislature lawn.

Those inside the legislature tell Global News that a constantly-burning ceremonial flame at the growing protest site has become a health and safety concern, with smoke filling the offices in the building.

The tent city is also threatening to disrupt the scheduled throne speech on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg showed her support for the protesters on social media.

Indigenous rights = Climate justice#WetsuwetenStrong #KeepItInTheGround https://t.co/1kYNumyoQT

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 8, 2020


Further east, demonstrators blocked VIA Rail access in Ontario for the third straight day, along with another rail line in Toronto.

The protests follow a youth-led blockade of the Swartz Bay ferry terminal and occupations of two ministers’ offices last month.


READ MORE: Indigenous youth occupy B.C. legislature steps in support of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs

Protesters are ramping up demonstrations across B.C. and elsewhere in Canada this week in solidarity with members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, who have been facing off with RCMP since Thursday.

Over 20 arrests have been made by police, who are enforcing a court injunction against the opponents who have dug in near Houston, B.C.

The $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink is intended to carry natural gas from northeastern B.C. to a massive new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export facility near Kitimat.

Twenty elected Indigenous councils along the route have signed agreements with the company, but opponents say only the hereditary chiefs have authority over unceded traditional territory.
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FIRST NATIONS PROTESTS
First Nation protests force VIA Rail to cancel trains between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa
TORONTO -- Anti-pipeline protesters in Belleville, Ont. have forced VIA Rail to suspend service between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa for the second day in a row.
The protests, in support of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, come after six people were arrested near a worksite in northern British Columbia where the RCMP had recently enforced an injunction against the Nation’s hereditary chiefs and their supporters.
At issue is the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline, which will deliver natural gas from the Dawson Creek area to a facility near Kitimat, B.C.
The company behind Coastal GasLink has signed agreements with 20 elected First Nation councils along its 670-kilometre path with the exception of the Wet'suwet'en who say the project has no authority without their consent.
As a result of the protests in Belleville, service between Ottawa and Toronto and between Montreal and Toronto has been interrupted in both directions as VIA Rail works to refund tickets for affected trips.
“VIA Rail will be automatically refunding all segments affected by this service disruption. Please note that your refund may take up to 10 days to process,” the company says in an important notice on their website.
VIA Rail goes on to say that none of the trains on these two routes will operate until the issue is resolved.
The Ontario Provincial Police said that they are monitoring the protests.
Protesters block CP Rail tracks in Toronto
On Saturday, protesters in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en First Nation blocked the Canadian Pacific (CP) Rail tracks at Bartlett Avenue in Toronto’s west end.
In a news release, the group behind the demonstration said they chose the CP tracks as the site of their protest due to the company’s involvement in transporting pipeline materials to B.C.
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“The Coastal GasLink project needs to be permanently stopped, and the RCMP must leave the territory immediately as the Hereditary Chiefs have demanded,” Alie Hermanutz, a protest supporter, said in the release.
Speaking to CP24, Indigenous environmental justice advocate Vanessa Gray says the RCMP is attacking the Wet’suwet’en people standing in the way of the pipeline’s construction.
“There are families living on the territory, they have been living there for years, there are different clans and Hereditary Chiefs who all are opposed to the Coastal Gaslink pipeline,” Gray said.
“They have every right to be in their own land and territory and we’re here to shutdown Canada until the RCMP stand down.”
GO Transit's Barrie line was briefly interrupted by the demonstration, but later resumed service.
Toronto Police told CP24 that they are aware of the protest, but as long as the demonstrations remain peaceful, officers will not take any action.




Protesters remain despite court ruling

Quinte News
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