Alberta Court of Appeal hears arguments on Bill 9 injunction
Michelle Bellefontaine | CBC News | Posted: August 29, 2019 7:35 PM | Last Updated: August 29, 2019
Edmonton judge suspended Public Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral Act in July
Alberta's top court plans to issue a ruling next week about whether an interim injunction against the government's Bill 9 will remain in place.
The Alberta government is appealing an injunction granted to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees on July 30.
The ruling, by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Eric Macklin, suspended the Public Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral Act, which postponed wage talks until Oct. 30.
The government had wanted to put off wage talks until it had a better picture of Alberta's finances.
Macklin's ruling allowed salary arbitration for 65,000 AUPE members to continue earlier this month.
A panel of three Court of Appeal judges heard arguments Thursday morning in Edmonton.
Government lawyer Alan Meikle laid out five grounds for the appeal. He argued that Macklin erred when he ruled that allowing the government to suspend wage talks would damage its relationship with its unionized employees.
Lawyer Patrick Nugent, appearing on behalf of AUPE, argued there was no need for a review of Macklin's decision.
After hearing submissions from both sides, the appeal court judges said they would reserve their decision with hopes of issuing a ruling next week.
Bill 9 was introduced and passed by the United Conservative government within a week in June.
The bill put a halt to wage arbitration talks for three collective agreements affecting 65,000 AUPE members who work for Alberta Health Services or the provincial government.
Late last year, AUPE members agreed to a three-year contract with wage freezes in the first two years, with the understanding that wage talks would be reopened in the final year.
The agreement also guaranteed the workers job security until March 30, 2020.