Friday, November 7, 2025
Breakfast and Registration: 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Introductory remarks: 9:00 am – 9:05 am
What economic conditions will we face in 2026? In this forward-looking session, economists will examine 2026 economic and fiscal forecasts in Alberta and federally. Specifically, the panel will address:
- Provincial and federal growth forecasts;
- Inflation, interest rates, and cost-of-living expectations;
- Employment and labour market conditions;
- Provincial comparisons and impact of trade with the United States; and
- Economic priorities in 2026 Alberta and federal budgets.
Break: 9:50 am – 10:05 am
Experienced negotiators will address challenges in the next round of bargaining in the broader public sector in light of Alberta’s economic outlook. Specifically, the panelists will address the following questions:
- What do the recent fiscal update and economic statement, fiscal plan, and other communications from the Government of Alberta tell us about the provincial government’s bargaining priorities for the end of 2025 and beyond?
- What economic factors should employers and unions consider when determining bargaining priorities and drafting proposals? Is there anything unique to Alberta’s current economic situation that negotiators need to pay particular attention to in bargaining? How is the approach to bargaining affected by uncertain times?
- How will the uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs and the Canadian response, such as retaliatory tariffs, impact bargaining? Will any other policies of the current U.S. administration affect bargaining in the broader public sector in Canada? Is the effect of these policies different in the broader public sector than in the private sector?
- How will the current state of the economy affect negotiating wage increases? How will inflation and the increased cost of living affect bargaining in this area? Does Alberta’s stagnant minimum wage play a role?
- How important are non-monetary items for employers and unions when negotiating in the current economic climate? What are some examples of novel non-monetary items that unions are raising at the bargaining table? Can an employer meeting a union’s non-monetary demands make up for not meeting monetary demands?
- How do hiring freezes and layoffs, resulting in increased job complexity and workloads, affect bargaining?
Break: 11:05 am – 11:20 am
Exploring Alberta’s bargaining framework as a living system that is driven by people and not a set of laws or fiscal policies. Alberta’s specific framework demonstrates this using trust, transparency, and the invisible influence that government mandates create.
Networking Lunch: 11:50 am – 12:50 pm
In this session, panelists will examine the latest decisions, legislative changes, and other key developments impacting bargaining in the public sector. The session and materials will delve into topics including:
- the legality of recent government interventions pausing or prohibiting strikes in the railway, ports, postal, airline, education, and other sectors;
- a recent Quebec Court of Appeal decision limiting the role of governments in the selection of impartial interest arbitrators;
- the trends in recent labour board decisions addressing issues such as unfair labour practices, good faith bargaining, statutory freeze violations, contracting out, bargaining unit scope, essential services agreements, and delineating “core” and “non-core” union activities;
- the impact of recent interest arbitration decisions addressing inflation, morale, staffing and retention, and changing social, political, and economic conditions; and
- the effectof recent grievance arbitration awards addressing collective agreement interpretation, including the assessment of employees’ contractual entitlements during lay-offs and restructuring.
The session will also address key legislative changes, including:
- the implications for protest activity of Alberta’s Justice Statutes Amendment Act, adding certain healthcare facilities to the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act;
- changes to Alberta’s healthcare system introduced through Alberta’s latest Health Statutes Amendment Acts and related concerns with respect to privatization and working conditions;
- the “Common Front Solidarity Pact” recently reached between the Alberta Federation of Labour and other unions within the province.
- legislation in Quebec expanding government power to restrict or end strikes and lock-outs and refer certain labour disputes to interest arbitration; and
- legislation restricting the use of strike replacement workers passed federally and in Manitoba.
Final topics will be selected in the weeks prior to the conference to ensure coverage of the latest and most important developments in a changing legal and political landscape.
Break: 1:50 pm – 2:05 pm
The diverse age range of today’s workforce can often leave employers struggling to balance hiring strategies, compensation and benefit decisions, and workplace cultures based on how they support and resonate differently with employees across generations. The good news is the gap between generations frequently isn’t as wide as you might think, and the differences that exist aren’t necessarily the ones you’d expect. From emerging opportunities to generational insights, this session will explore the influence of baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z on today’s workforce, along with the impacts of various policies on their productivity and well-being.
Join Adam Cembrowski, a partner with Nugent Law Office as he discusses the multigenerational workforce with Evangeline Berube, Vice President and Associate Director with Robert Half.
Break: 2:35 pm – 2:45 pm
The future of work is here – is your collective agreement ready? Join this dynamic session to explore how technology, evolving workplace expectations, and legal developments are driving the need for modernization. Topics to be addressed include:
- The impact of artificial intelligence (“AI”) on employee hiring and management
- New technologies relating to surveillance and monitoring of employees at work
- Remote work and flexible workplace arrangements
- Equity, Diversion and Inclusion (“EDI”) in the workplace
- The right to disconnect
- Scope of benefits and leaves of absence
- Outsourcing work
- Restructuring
- Social media during bargaining
Closing Remarks: 4:00 pm
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Workshop
*Workshop sold separately from stand-alone conference.
In this full-day workshop, experts will help participants improve their bargaining skills beyond the basics, with a focus on overcoming negotiating roadblocks, communicating during bargaining, and crafting appropriate collective agreement language. Participants will engage in interactive exercises relevant to the principles and practices discussed throughout the day. Topics include:
- Applying negotiation strategies to preserve relationships during bargaining and improve outcomes;
- Communicating with members or employees and the media during bargaining;
- Counteracting bad faith bargaining;
- Addressing confidential mandates under Alberta’s Public Sector Employers Act;
- Determining the cost of benefits under a collective agreement;
- Interpreting collective agreement language; and
- Crafting clear and compelling collective agreement language.
Register
Edmonton Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector Conference – Single day
$1,395.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Conference Co-Chairs
Conference Advisory Committee
Steve Stringfellow
Assistant Deputy Minister, Labour Relations Policy & Programs
Public Service Commission
Government of Alberta
Terry Sway
Associate Director of Operations
Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA)
University of Edmonton
CPD
This program has been approved by CPHR Alberta for 5 Continuing Professional Development hours.
This program has been approved by CPHR Alberta for 5.33 Continuing Professional Development hours.