Connection
Latest news
Shortage of prosecutors: towards abandoning prosecutions
Crown prosecutors fear the worst in the face of the crisis which is slowing down the functioning of the criminal justice system in New Brunswick. Calls for help have been made for two weeks. Me Yves Duguay, Vice-President of the New Brunswick Association of Crown Prosecutors and prosecutor in Bathurst, admits that the situation has been worrying for a while.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-03-27
B.C. prosecutors’ association raises security concerns about Vancouver courthouse following assault
The association that represents B.C.’s roughly 450 Crown prosecutors is raising safety concerns around an East Vancouver courthouse after a member was allegedly assaulted outside last week. "We’re reeling, this has really shaken us to the core to have one of our own attacked right here,” said BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-02-05
Increased number of homicides doesn’t bode well for overworked N.L. prosecutors, association says
There are 17 homicide cases before the courts in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the head of the association that represents local prosecutors says the higher-than-normal caseload will be difficult to handle.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-09-07
Manitoba adds 25 Crown attorneys to prosecution service amid workload issues
The Manitoba government hopes to add about two dozen more prosecutors and assistants to the prosecution service, which attorneys say has been struggling to keep up amid workload and workforce issues. Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys says province left group out of discussions.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-06-26
Les Leyne: Premier David Eby takes on lawyers — again
The B.C. NDP government has introduced a one-page bill that bestows the right to join a union on the 350 lawyers who work for government. There’s a catch. It herds them into a union the government prefers, the Professional Employees Association, rather than allowing them to form their own.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-05-06
‘Unfair labour practice’: B.C. government accused of blocking union bid by its own lawyers
Lawyers for the B.C. government say the province has ended negotiations with them ahead of legislation they claim aims to block their right to form their own union.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-05-04
<-- Back to archived news
Labour officials, N.S. government to meet to discuss Bill 148
17-06-2022
Controversial law from former Liberal government imposed wage pattern
Labour legislation from the former Liberal government of Stephen McNeil touched off massive protests at Province House as it was being passed. Courts are now having their say on the bills. (Jean Laroche/CBC)
Representatives with organized labour and the Nova Scotia government will meet to discuss how to address outstanding issues with a contentious piece of legislation used to impose wage restraint.
Bill 148, passed by the former Liberal government to impose wage patterns and remove a lump-sum retirement benefit known as the long-service award, continues to be tied up in court. Last month, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal declined to rule on whether the bill is constitutional.
At that point, major union leaders asked the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour to get a meeting with the province to discuss potential next steps. On Thursday, Labour Relations Minister Allan MacMaster told reporters the meeting will soon happen.
"I'm not going to say anything more on that today, other than to say that we want to have a good line of communication," he said. "We want to be fair. We are dealing with legislation that we were handed."
Danny Cavanagh, president of the federation of labour, said he would meet with union leaders following the meeting with MacMaster to determine how they want to proceed.
"We're going to go into the meeting and see where things go," he said in an interview.
"I'm not making any assumptions one way or the other."
There is added motivation for this meeting following a judge's ruling this week on another piece of controversial Liberal legislation from the time of former premier Stephen McNeil.
Bill 75, which imposed a contract on teachers in 2017, was determined by a judge to be "vengeful," "terribly wrong" and unconstitutional. Premier Tim Houston said his government will not appeal that ruling. He told reporters on Thursday that his government is in talks with the teachers' union about remedies following the ruling.
Houston acknowledged there could be financial implications for that ruling, and whatever comes of talks about Bill 148. Labour costs make up a significant portion of the provincial budget, he said.
"People who are working in Nova Scotia should be fairly compensated and, where they're part of a union, that should come as a result of a union negotiation," said Houston.
MacMaster stressed that neither piece of legislation has any bearing on ongoing contract talks with unions.
"Our government wants to be different than the last government. We don't want to be seen as antagonistic with labour."
Houston promised during last summer's provincial election that, if elected, the Tories would repeal Bill 148. More recently, they've backed away from that idea.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bill-148-75-labour-relations-macmaster-unions-1.6492215
