The prevalence of labour disruptions in the Canadian education sector requires a comprehensive analysis of the adverse implications of strikes for stakeholders and Canadian society in general. Education is a kind of public good that generates positive externalities and strikes in Canadian universities and colleges engender negative externalities…

On October 16, 2017, over 12,000 faculty, librarians, and counsellors in 24 independent postsecondary colleges in Ontario, Canada went on strike for the fourth time since they organized in 1971 as members of the Civil Service Association of Ontario and won their first collective agreement the next year. Begun as an apolitical, self-consciously…

Every British Columbia (BC) school district has been mandated and funded to initiate attendance management programs. Three "advisory" and seven "pilot" school districts have been announced. While the issue is evolving, this paper provides some background, research, and details about the current proposals for attendance…

Canada's boreal forests are second only to the Amazon in producing life-giving oxygen and providing a habitat for thousands of species, from the large woodland caribou to the smallest organisms. The boreal forests are the lifeblood of many Aboriginal communities and the thousands of workers, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, who harvest and process…

In October 2012, Premier Christy Clark announced government would consult with the education partners for the purpose of reviewing teacher bargaining structures and processes with the goal of providing a more stable learning environment for British Columbia students. The review looked for opportunities to achieve two priorities: (1) Create…

This article, detailing the implications of "ethics drift" for critical work in the academy, reports on an ethics challenge to a non-research-based scholarly text. It analyzes how General Research Ethics Boards (GREBs) can threaten academic freedom when they lack a clear definition of "human subject" research, fail to…

A simple model that incorporates elements of the leading hypotheses is tested using a unique data set spanning 35 years of conventional arbitration experience among teachers in British Columbia. Found that bargaining units that used arbitration in earlier round of negotiations were more likely than others to use it in the current round. (JOW)

Describes the design and implementation of a mediation program for the resolution of child protection disputes in Nova Scotia. Focuses on the legal mandate for mediation, training programs for mediators, orientation programs for child protective workers, and the actual mediation process. (MDM)

Discusses the difficulties inherent in the legal system for resolving child protection disputes, and advances a model for the mediation of such cases. Reviews the use and cost effectiveness of the model. (MDM)

The research reported here, on teacher contract negotiations, was conducted in response to the observation that teachers' bargaining agents are frequently uncertain about the aspirations, goals, and commitments of those they represent. It describes a short questionnaire that may be used in teacher contract negotiations to assess what the…

Examines the use of final-offer arbitration in public sector collective bargaining in five states. (PKP)

A system of compulsory arbitration that has regulated labor relations for all public school teachers in British Columbia for 36 years is analyzed. (MS)