AB Today – Daily Report July 8, 2020

Quotation of the day

“Steaming pile of unconstitutional legislation.”

Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan weighs in on the UCP’s new labour ​ ​ bill.

Today in AB

On the schedule MLAs return at 9:00 a.m. today.

Several bills could be called for second reading: ● Bill 26, Constitutional Referendum Amendment Act; ​ ● Bill 27, Senate Election Amendment Act; ​ ● Bill 28, Vital Statistics (Protecting Albertans from Convicted Sex Offenders) Amendment ​ Act; ● Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act; and ​ ● Bill 31, Environmental Protection Statutes Amendment Act. ​

MLAs could also debate two government motions — one denouncing racism and another condemning unions for blocking pandemic wage top-ups.

Tuesday’s debates and proceedings The government introduced three new bills Tuesday (more on them below): ● Bill 31, Environmental Protection Statutes Amendment Act; ​

● Bill 32, Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act; and ​ ● Bill 33, Alberta Investment Attraction Act. ​

Five bills were debated at second reading: Bill 26, Bill 27, Bill 28, Bill 29 and Bill 30. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Bill 25, Protecting Alberta Industry From Theft Act, passed committee stage. It requires ​ businesses to report stolen copper wire to authorities.

Bill 22, Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act, was debated at committee of the whole, but ​ not passed.

Speaker Nathan Cooper ruled that Finance Minister was not in contempt of ​ ​ ​ ​ parliament when he inaccurately claimed the government’s financial reporting was pushed to a later date in response to a request by the auditor general. The Auditor General’s Office said the delay was actually requested by the government, but Cooper found there was no evidence of Toews intentionally misleading the house.

Premier watch Premier held a virtual meeting with the Japanese Ambassador to Canada ​ ​ Yasuhisa Kawamura.

On social media, the premier heralded an announcement from Airport City Solar, a 627-acre ​ ​ solar farm at the Edmonton International Airport, which received $169 million in private investment. Kenney says it will be the “world’s largest airport solar farm” and create up to 250 jobs.

UCP labour bill ignites furor from unions by making some dues voluntary A new UCP bill would make Alberta the first jurisdiction in Canada where some union dues are voluntary since the introduction of the Rand Formula in 1946.

If passed, Labour and Immigration Minister Jason Copping’s Bill 32, Restoring Balance in ​ ​ ​ ​ Alberta’s Workplaces Act, would designate an opt-in provision for union dues allotted to “non core” functions such as funding political advertising campaigns.

“We’re treating employees like adults,” Copping said of the legislation, which the government said will protect workers who don’t want their dues going to “ideological causes.”

NDP Leader said reforming how unions are funded amounts to “American-style ​ ​ union busting.”

“This whole question is going to find its way to the courts for breaching charter right after charter right,” said Notley.

She was echoed by Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan, who pledged to ​ ​ battle the “steaming pile of unconstitutional legislation” in the courtroom.

Under the proposed changes, picketers wouldn’t be allowed to obstruct access to a workplace and labour board approval would be required for pickets at “secondary” locations — including those on public property — as is already done in B.C.

Copping said this is intended to stop secondary strikes by “allied” organizations.

“In this new attack on working peoples’ rights, Jason Kenney is using government regulations ​ ​ to benefit his friends in big business,” Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s western regional director, said ​ ​ in a press release. “Fixing the rules to give even greater power to the rich and powerful will only hurt Alberta’s economic recovery.”

The UCP contends the opposite — stating the bill will bolster the province’s economic recovery by “restoring balance” between workers and employers.

The bill will also restrict the board from ordering first-contract arbitration, saying it should be “an option of last resort.” Unions will also have to disclose their finances annually. ​

Bill makes it easier to lay off workers, hire 13- and 14-year-olds Other measures in the bill aim to “clarify” rules around vacation pay, group terminations, temporary layoff practices and “averaging arrangements,” which employers use to calculate overtime, according to the UCP.

Employers will only have to provide four weeks’ notice ahead of a group termination of 50 or more workers, up from the current max of 16 weeks.

“In general, employers needed more flexibility through the Job Standards Codes to save time and money,” Copping said.

Copping said changes to how employee termination wages are paid out — which will give employers a month to pay back wages, rather than three days — are expected to save companies $100 million.

Employers will no longer be required to obtain a permit in order to hire 13- and 14-year-olds and can temporarily furlough workers for up to four months for non-Covid related reasons.

Topics of conversation

● There are currently 620 active COVID-19 cases, up 13 since Monday. There are currently 54 people in hospital, including six in the ICU. ○ The number of deaths jumped by two to 157. ○ Front counter service at RCMP stations is reopening on a limited basis.

● Alberta director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business Annie Dormuth ​ wrote an op-ed in the Financial Post warning small businesses could fail if they don’t get ​ ​ ​ ​ help accessing the PEE required under COVID-19 rules. ○ Dormuth wrote about the costs her husband, a dentist, has incurred and argued those in the health sector should have access to government-procured PPE to reduce costs.

● Alberta oilsands companies are ramping up production amid higher oil prices, the Canadian Press reports. ​ ​ ○ Alex Pourbaix, CEO of Cenovus Energy, told CP his company has restored ​ 30,000 barrels per day of production, while Husky Energy’s CFO Jeff Hart said ​ ​ they have restored 40,000 barrels per day.

● An Abacus Data poll shows even though separatist support is strongest in Alberta, the ​ ​ majority still think it’s a “terrible idea.” ○ Of those surveyed, 54 per cent of Albertans said separating is a terrible idea, 26 per cent said they could live with it and 20 per cent gave it a thumbs up. ○ Nationally, only seven per cent of Canadians think Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Manitoba should separate. Slightly more — 11 per cent — would support Alberta separating.

● Natural Gas and Electricity Associate Minister told the Globe and Mail he’s ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ on board with a “Team Canada” approach for a national hydrogen strategy. ○ The Canadian Gas Association is pushing for more hydrogen to be used as a natural gas fuel.

News briefs

Court decision pushes new rules for pit mines ● Environment and Parks Minister introduced Bill 31, Environmental ​ ​ ​ ​ Protection Statutes Amendment Act, which establishes more stringent requirements for pits and clarifies the definition of sand as a mineral. ○ The bill follows a May 6, 2020, Alberta Court of Appeal decision that ruled sand ​ ​ be considered a mineral under the EPEA definition. Previously, all sand, gravel, clay and marl was regulated under rules for pits. Now sand removal must be regulated under a “quarry” regulatory framework.

○ Nixon said Bill 31 will provide “clarity and consistency for job creators in the sand ​ ​ and gravel industry while still maintaining stringent environmental protection regulations.” ○ Future sand projects that extract more than 45,000 tonnes will require an Environmental Impact Assessment and must meet more complex requirements to gain approval. ○ The changes to the law are expected to affect approximately 500 applicants.

Government to form Invest Alberta Corporation ● Bill 33, Alberta Investment Attraction Act, will officially establish the Invest Alberta ​ Corporation, as previously announced in the UCP’s economic recovery strategy. ○ The corporation will be funded to the tune of $6 million annually for three years. ○ There currently is an Invest Alberta branch of the Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Ministry, but Minister said the new corporation will do ​ ​ work in addition to that already being done by the ministry. ○ The DM of the Economic Development Ministry, Kate White, will sit on the board ​ ​ ​ ​ of directors, and up to seven other members will be approved by cabinet. ○ The Standing Committee on Public Accounts met on Tuesday morning to discuss a 2018-19 report on the province’s economic development strategy, which found ​ ​ the ministry facilitated $5 billion in capital investment that year, including the relocation of the Flair Air headquarters to Edmonton, Amazon opening a warehouse in Leduc and the reopening of the Grande Cache coal mine.

Appointments and Employments

Invest Alberta ● Dave Rodney, the former PC and UCP MLA who gave up his —Lougheed seat ​ so now-premier Jason Kenney could run, has been appointed as Alberta’s agent ​ ​ general in the new Houston, Texas, investment office. ○ Rodney will take home a salary of $250,000 a year for his role as trade representative.

Question period

NDP continues to press on jobs plan ● NDP Leader Rachel Notley used her first set of questions to ask why the UCP is ​ ​ doubling down on corporate handouts when its earlier round failed to create jobs. ○ “Why is the premier doubling down on a proven failure instead of finally developing a real plan to create jobs for Albertans?” Notley asked.

● Premier Jason Kenney said the tax cuts are incentivising companies to invest. Dubbing ​ ​ Notley “the socialist leader,” he questioned her use of the word “handout.”

○ “A handout is a subsidy. A handout is when the government writes someone a cheque,” Kenney said. “Allowing job creators not to be punished with high tax rates is not a handout; it is, as economists have confirmed, the strongest possible policy signal to increase private-sector investment, the kind of investment that was driven out of this province during the NDP’s disastrous four-year reign, one of the reasons they were fired by Albertans.”

Other NDP questions NDP MLAs also asked about changes to the health-care system under Bill 30, racist musings ​ ​ by the premier’s speechwriter, transparency around the $7.5-billion investment in the Keystone XL pipeline, killing the pension protection private member’s bill, open pit mining, economic diversification, getting big money out of politics, the COVID-19 outbreak at the Misericordia Hospital and anti-Asian racism.

UCP backbencher questions UCP backbenchers asked about infrastructure spending, how exhausting it must be to be as outraged as the NDP and the economic recovery plan.