May / June 2000

Unions and the Just Society by Jackie Flanagan

Editorial

As a result of the Industrial Revolution, unions emerged to give collective power to workers who as individuals had none. In Alberta, we are hostile toward unions, or collective action of any type. Who does this attitude serve?


Blacklash by Fred Stenson, illustration by Steve Attoe

Humour, satire, wit, column

Stenson declares backlash as the force that dictates all change, not just fashion.


In Love with Festivals Why is conservative Alberta a hotbed of artistic celebrations?

by Pamela Anthony, photos by C. Kowalchuk

Edmonton Fringe Festival, The Works, Calgary International Children's Festival, Calgary Folk Festival

Currently, Alberta hosts 48 art festivals, and considering the enormous public support, this number can only grow. People who ordinarily don't interact with arts populate these festivals, which function to bring communities together. What's not to celebrate?


A Good Job is Hard to Find High-tech glamour jobs? No. We're shoe salesmen, nurses, carpenters, welders and waiters

by Graham S. Lowe, illustration by Hugo Dubon

Daniel Levine, Alberta Advantage, Alberta Growth Summit, knowledge-based industries

The Alberta government recognizes that people nurture economic growth, hence, the title of their human resource policy: People and Prosperity. It's a nice phrase, but do the words actually describe the actions of the government?


Does Working for Welfare Work? by Tim Devlin

Support for Independence, Social Research and Demonstration Corporations

The Alberta Job Corps was launched in 1995 with great fanfare. Designed for people on welfare who are unsuitable for other government programs-academic upgrading or skill development-AJC is the last opportunity for lost causes. After five years, is AJC achieving its aim of putting the unemployable to work?


Alberta's Hostility Toward Labour Alberta once played a crucial role in the evoultion of Canada's labour movement. What happened?

by David Bright

Right-to-work legislation, Peter Pocklington, Gainers strike, 1988 Labour Relations Code, Klein revolution, United Nurses of Alberta, Alberta Union of Public Employees

Historically, Alberta's unions were influential and effective both with industry and government. Since the 1943 election of Earnest Manning and his Social Credit party, Alberta has become increasingly unsupportive of labour movements.


Urban Renewal by Vivian Zenari, photos by Kevin Steel

Garden, photo essay

Edmonton inner city residents are not just growing gardens, they're growing communities.


Strike An excerpt from the novel Downriver Drift

by Tim Bowling, illustration by James Lorincz

Fiction, excerpt, Downriver Drift

A fishermen's strike brews violently, destroying a small town's harmony, as some choose to cross the picket line and fish for their livelihood.


Acrostic
Every issue we offer this unique puzzle by J.B. Hohm. Solve it to reveal a quote by an Alberta author.

Numbers
Numbers and statistics illuminate and entertain in one of our most popular pages.

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