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EDMONTON, AB – Bill 28, the Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, is the newest attempt by the UCP to control municipalities and the public services Albertans rely on.

“For a provincial government whose favourite gripe with the federal government is about ‘overreach,’ they sure do love taking control away from municipalities,” said Raj Uppal, CUPE Alberta President.

Bill 28 allows the UCP government to compel “a municipality to transfer ownership or control of a municipal public utility to a public utility entity.”

“We know that privatization always comes hand in hand with higher costs, less oversight, and with outsourcing concerns for workers,” Uppal continued.

“In an environment where we’re seeing a troubling trend of privatization of utilities, the government paving the way to taking control and oversight away from democratically elected municipal officials raises a major concern for all municipal workers, elected officials, and residents.”

“Maybe Danielle Smith should take her own advice and ‘stay in her lane.’”

EDMONTON, AB – CUPE Alberta is raising serious concerns about new legislation introduced today that will require the physical segregation of certain public library materials and mandate parental permission for youth under 16 to borrow them.

Bill 28 would apply to public libraries across the province, and would restrict citizens’ access even to materials aimed at adults. According to Minister of Public Affairs Dan Williams, books his government deems too “graphic” will be required to be placed “behind a counter.”

CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal says the legislation is ill-conceived and ignores the realities facing public libraries across the province.

“Clearly, this is another instance of the government creating unnecessary legislation with no thought as to how it would be implemented,” said Uppal. “Public libraries are already stretched thin, and this bill downloads significant new responsibilities onto library workers without any plan or support.”

The legislation comes with no additional funding, despite the expectation that libraries will likely need to undertake costly renovations and hire additional staff to comply with the new requirements. This could include building new, patron-inaccessible areas to store materials and the creation of an identification verification process.

“We would prefer if the government focused on solving real problems facing Albertans, rather than chasing social media outrage and conspiracy-driven policy ideas,” Uppal added.

CUPE Alberta emphasized that library workers are trained professionals who are already well-equipped to support their communities and manage access to materials appropriately.

“CUPE library staff are capable of addressing concerns as they arise,” said Uppal. “They do not need heavy-handed direction from this government to do their jobs.”

The bill also introduces government-appointed library inspectors, who will have the authority to investigate libraries based on a single complaint, raising further concerns about overreach and the potential for politically motivated enforcement.

“Instead of supporting public libraries as vital community spaces, this government is undermining them with vague rules and intrusive oversight,” said Uppal. “Albertans deserve better.”

Calgary, AB – CUPE 8125, representing approximately 360 WestJet Encore cabin crew members, has officially served Notice to Bargain a new Collective Agreement.

“We’re seeking an end to unpaid work, to resolve ongoing scheduling issues, and better wages for our members,” said Jennifer Wielohorski-Kuhnert, WestJet Encore Unit Vice President. “It comes down to this: flight attendants deserve to be paid for every hour on the job.”

CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain emphasized that this round of bargaining comes at a time when cabin crew across the WestJet Group are pushing for meaningful change.

“WestJet mainline flight attendants have been in bargaining since September 2025, raising many of the same core issues of unpaid work, scheduling, and fair compensation,” said Hussain. “Encore flight attendants are now joining that push to ensure that all cabin crew across the company are treated fairly and compensated for the full scope of their work.”

Hussain added, “We look forward to bargaining a collective agreement that reflects the value of the work our cabin safety professionals perform every day. Our members keep passengers safe, manage emergencies, and deliver frontline service, and yet too much of their time remains unpaid.”

“Our message to WestJet is clear and consistent across the group,” said Hussain. “Pay us fairly. Pay us for all our time.”