REPORT of the ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

The Alberta Federation of Labour Environment Committee met seven times and faced many challenges in over the past two years. Our work centred around taking steps towards implementing the Environment Policy and resolutions adopted at the 1999 AFL Convention.

The work of the committee was shaped by the increased importance of the environment as a provincial, national and global issue, with severe weather events only an indication of things to come. Labour is at a crossroads with respect to the environment, with many challenges ahead - not least of which is our input into, and response to, economic changes that will be necessitated by governments' and industries' response to global warming.

The following is an account of the activities of the committee.

Committee Members

The Environment Committee began its two-year term with 13 members. Over the term there were several resignations and other impediments which hampered the continuity and work of the committee. 5 members had to resign for affiliation and other reasons. Another major challenge was an inability to do as much work as the committee wanted to due to the inability to reach quorum and the subsequent cancellation of several meetings - a problem shared by most other AFL committees. The Executive Committee will have to deal with this issue on a priority basis in their upcoming term.

Environment Work with Resource-based Affiliates

This crucial work is central to labour's success at dealing with cutting edge environmental issues. Over the past two years, the AFL Environment Committee met, along with the AFL president with leaders of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers, the International Woodworkers of America, the United Steelworkers of America, and the United Mineworkers of America in an effort to deal with workers' interests in view of sustainable development. The meetings were on the leadership level and a membership workshop level.

Issues around dealing with the livelihoods of non-renewable resource workers, just transition of non-renewable resource-based jobs, organizing the unorganized in renewable resource industries, and alliances and attitudes towards environmental groups (including labour education of environmental groups) were debated and discussed. The issues involved were very contentious and, no doubt will remain so. Hopefully, resolutions to these issues can be made before the reality of global climate change overtakes us.

Disposition of Resolutions to the 1999 AFL Convention

1. The Environment Committee sent letters to all levels of government on the following issues:

• incentive programs for the use of more environmentally-friendly energy and fuel sources (propane) as well as energy conservation programs. These issues are increasing in importance with the soaring costs of energy and the provincial mismanagement in energy deregulation.

• the use of hog fuel and other scrap fuels (industry byproducts), regulations, and incentives for their use.

• questioning the Alberta Tire Recycling Board on its financial statements for 1999, the disposition of the $4/tire disposal fee, and the success or lack thereof in environmentally-friendly recycling of old tires.

The committee decided against submitting a questionnaire on the Alberta government's Natural Heritage Act since the questions were leading and restrictive.

2. Unfortunately, the resolution for a Millennium project could not be realized since monies were not available to organizations like the Alberta Federation of Labour.

3. Work with Environmental Non-governmental Agencies

The Environment Committee continued its work with Alberta Environmental groups. Sister Waywanko and Brother Foster were panelists on labour and the environment, along with members of the environmental community as part of the Edmonton May Week 2000 activities. This attracted over 50 audience members, many of whom expressed an interest in increased activity between labour and the environment.

Sister Waywanko continued to be active as a Steering Committee member of the Alberta Environment Network (AEN) which offered several opportunities to highlight labour's concerns with respect to environmental issues, including:

• representing workers' interests and educating environmentalists on labour issues as a member of the AEN steering committee

• distributing copies of the AFL Environment Policy and doing outreach work at Earth Day 1999 in Edmonton (we also placed an ad in the Environment Kids Guide which was widely and freely distributed throughout Alberta).

• participating in an environmental strategic summit to discuss direct action on the environment in the fall of 1999

• presenting the AFL environmental policy to the Alberta Environment Network AGM in May 2000 - also lobbied the New Democrat and Liberal environment critics on labour's issues.

• representing the interests of labour in meetings with the federal Environment Minister (David Anderson) and the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (regarding non-petroleum mineral extraction hearings).

• attending the Canadian Environmental Network in September 2000 where contact was made with several trade unionists active in the environmental movement in Ontario. Sister Waywanko actively participated in several workshops to inject labour's perspective in environmental issues.

Some of the items that the wider environmental movement is working on including the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) as a replacement of the GDP, use of urban pesticides, and forest management.

In addition, Brother Foster attended the Climate Change Central conference in 1999 and made a presentation to the 1999 Ecotopia Youth Conference.

The AFL Environment Committee has also been invited to sit on the Clean Air Strategic Alliance working group on "pollution prevention and continuous air quality improvement". Brother Tom Olenuk is the representative and Sister Andrea Waywanko is the alternate.

The AFL Environment Committee researched and provided materials to the AFL Education Committee for use at the annual Kids' camp. We look forward to continuing collaboration on this issue.

CLC Activity

In addition to President Audrey Cormack's participation as a co-chair of the CLC Environment Committee, Brother Fernando Longhi attended the CLC Environment Conference in October 2000.

Labour News

Participation of the Environment Committee in the work of Labour News wasn't as consistent as we would have liked. However, an article on the labour and environmental effects of privatization of Alberta provincial forest fire fighting was submitted.

Looking Forward

The committee is looking forward to the next term of activity, including:

• the development of an affiliate outreach program, focusing on canvassing AFL affiliate individual members and encouraging their environmental work at the workplace and within existing environmental groups throughout Alberta and supplying them with the tools to deliver a labour perspective on the environment and sustainable development.

• organizing a bus tour for labour and environmental activists of boreal model forest (Whitecourt) or Foothills Model Forest (Hinton).

• ongoing development of the AFL website, with an extensive contribution on environmental issues.

• increased involvement in provincial regulatory reviews on, for example, tire and bottle recycling, and encouraging alternative energy resources and energy conservation.

• organized meetings with provincial government and opposition parties to explain AFL Environment Policy and Just Transition policy.

The AFL Environment Committee encourages ongoing, active participation in its work by all affiliates and would like to thank our staff representative, Jason Foster, for his commitment to the work of the committee.

In Solidarity!

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee,

Andrea Waywanko, Chairperson       AUPE 002  Tom Olenuk, Secretary        EDLCCUPW-Edm.  Alex Cosovan                            PSAC 30048  Mike Demsey                                AUPE 005  Dewey Funk  U                             SWA 5575  Fernando Longhi                             CUPE 38  Eric Rosendahl                                CEP 855  Brian Savage                             CUPW-Edm.  Patrick Tort                               CDLCUFCW

 

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