Labour federation slams gov’t bitumen royalty program

A move by the province to increase bitumen upgrading on this side of the border has at least one labour group saying it’s too little to be of any significance. […]

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New BRIK program too small to turn the tide of raw bitumen being sent south of the border for refining, says AFL

Thousands of jobs will continue to be lost down the pipeline as a result of government’s failure to adopt more aggressive policies The Alberta government has finally added flesh to […]

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Suncor CEO mum on upgrader expansion: Strong U.S. demand for heavy oil has pushed company delay completion of Voyageur project

With construction of its oil sands upgrader stalled, Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T said Wednesday it plans to sell unprocessed bitumen to U.S. refiners, whose strong demand for Canadian heavy oil […]

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Labour group worried about oilsands jobs seeping out of Alberta

CALGARY – It used to be a foregone conclusion that the gigantic shovel-and-dumptruck operations in the oilsands would go hand-in-hand with an upgrader – a multibillion dollar facility to turn […]

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Labour federation warns jobs will head south

Though some herald the job creation resulting from Imperial Oil’s decision to go ahead with its Kearl project, the Alberta Federation of Labour warns the long-term benefits will be shipped […]

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AFL fears Kearl will send Alberta jobs to U.S.

EDMONTON – The Alberta Federation of Labour is worried Imperial’s $8-billion Kearl Lake oilsands project will send most of the bitumen – and good jobs – to the U.S. once […]

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Oil jobs being sent south, charge critics

The provincial government is content to see oilpatch jobs shipped to the U.S., charges the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. Gil McGowan made that charge yesterday in the […]

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Imperial gives Kearl project green light: Battered oil sands industry welcomes decision to proceed with mine’s $8-billion Phase 1

Imperial Oil Ltd.’s (IMO-T42.09-0.14-0.33%) approval of a major new $8-billion project is sparking optimism for a revival in the oil sands after months of project delays due to low crude […]

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Imperial saved up to $1 billion by holding off on Kearl decision

CALGARY – Holding off on approving construction on the Kearl oilsands mine until Alberta´s overheated market cooled off saved Imperial Oil Ltd. (TSX:IMO) as much as $1 billion, the company´s […]

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AFL wants oil sands jobs to stay in Alberta

The Alberta Federation of Labor sees the Kearl oil sands project as a pipeline for shipping jobs to the United States. Construction of the mega project northeast of Fort McMurray […]

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Sitting on Kearl project announcement saved Imperial Oil more than $500 million

CALGARY – Waiting nearly a year to announce formal approval of the Kearl oilsands mining project saved Imperial Oil Ltd. between $500 million and $1 billion in capital costs, chairman […]

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With no commitment to Alberta-based refining, Kearl should not be seen as economic saviour

If Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake project represents the future of the oil sands, then Albertans should be very concerned, says the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “Kearl Lake […]

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May 2009: Say No to Old Dutch Chips; Keep Energy Jobs in Alberta; Green Jobs; Friends of Medicare Rally

Say No to Old Dutch Chips Rather than bargain fairly, Old Dutch Chips on March 30 locked out 170 workers at its Calgary plant. The workers are simply looking for […]

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Labour Economic Monitor (May 2009)

Labour Economic Monitor (May 2009) It’s springtime in Alberta, and signs of the new season are everywhere. Birds are flocking back, the ice is out of the river, and down […]

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A New Direction for Alberta’s Energy Economy (2009)

A New Direction for Alberta’s Energy Economy (April 2009) Policy paper adopted at AFL 46th Constitutional Convention, April 23-26, 2009

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53 charges for CNRL, contractors

Following a record 53 charges laid against three companies for a 2007 accident that killed two workers at the oilsands work site, the Alberta Federation of Labour blames the provincial […]

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Layoffs at Petro Canada come as no surprise to labour group

The Alberta Federation of Labour is disappointed, but not surprised that two hundred full time Petro Canada employees have been laid off.President Gil McGowan says it can be blamed on […]

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New report suggests oil-sands jobs won’t return even if Alberta economy improves

U.S. pipeline and refinery expansions mean that Alberta’s dream of “moving up the value ladder” is on its deathbed EDMONTON – Without aggressive government intervention, Alberta will almost certainly miss […]

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Decision on layoffs may take six months following mega-merger: Workers ‘confused’

Workers at Petro-Canada and Suncor won’t know until late summer or fall how the promised layoffs will affect the merged company, or how many jobs will be cut in the […]

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170 layoffs at maker of oilpatch housing: Slowdown, oilsands delays blamed

The economic downturn in the energy sector claimed another 170 jobs Monday at two Edmonton-area plants. PTI Group Inc. laid off workers at its west-Edmonton and Nisku locations, said Ken […]

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Lost Down the Pipeline: In these difficult economic times, is the Alberta government doing enough to keep value-added oil-sands jobs in Canada?

Lost Down the Pipeline: In these difficult economic times, is the Alberta government doing enough to keep value-added oil-sands in Canada? The real question now is: will we learn the […]

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Industry says implementation of oilsands strategy will be key

The province said its oilsands strategic plan announced Thursday will benefit both industry and the environment, while sending a message to the world that Alberta’s economic engine isn’t going to […]

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Report shows Tories have waved the white flag of surrender in battle to keep Alberta oil sands jobs from being shipped down the pipeline

When it comes to Premier Stelmach’s oft-repeated promise to keep oil sands jobs in Alberta instead of shipping them down the pipeline to the U.S., his government’s new oil sands […]

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Oil sands layoffs coming down pipeline; The impact of reduced captial spending budgets is beginning to make itself felt in service providers

CALGARY — The big retreat from plans to expand oil sands projects has begun to show up in job losses and declines in expected corporate revenue. Flint Energy Services Ltd. […]

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