The Alberta Labour Relations Board publishes a list of all the certificates they’ve issued for unionized workplaces in the province.
They update it every month, with the latest update being 8 June 2026.
I thought I would report on 7 certificates that the ALRB issued in May 2026.
Arch Services Ltd.
The first certificate issued by the ALRB last month was for about 85 continuing workers in Red Deer.
The employer is Arch Services Ltd., a division of Christenson Group of Companies, which operates the division as an “asset management company” that oversees over 1,500 homes in 10 luxury retirement communities in cities and towns near Edmonton and Red Deer.
The certificate covered all workers employed by Arch Services at their Timberstone Mews location.
The ALRB approved both certifications on 11 May 2026.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees submitted their certification application for this two locations back in April.
One a related note, AUPE filed for certification back in December for workers employed at Devonshire Village, another retirement facility owned by Christenson and staffed by Arch Services. Workers at that facility received their union certification in March.
As well, AUPE filed certification applications in March 2026 for workers at the company’s Glastonbury Village location and their Village at Westmount location. ALRB approved those certifications in April.
Strathcona County
The next certification came 3 days later when the ALRB approved all firefighters employed by Strathcona County as a bargaining unit.
These firefighters will be represented by the Strathcona County Professional Fire Fighters Association. The SCPFFA is affiliated with Local 2461 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Prior to this new certification, the SCPFFA was listed in the ALRB’s active certificates list as representing “all full-time firefighters except the chief and deputy chiefs” employed by Strathcona County. The certification now reads “all firefighters”.
The most recent collective agreement for these workers expired at the end of 2024.
The Brenda Strafford Foundation Ltd.
The ALRB issued another union certification on the 14th.
This certification went to all those employed in “auxiliary” nursing care by The Brenda Strafford Foundation Ltd.
Created in 1975, the foundation owns 5 facilities where about 1,200 workers provide long-term and assisted living care in Calgary and Okotoks.
These nearly 150 workers are employed at the Tudor Manor facility in Okotoks.
The workers filed an application for certification through The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees last month.
AUPE already represents nearly 400 workers at the foundation’s Clifton House and Wentworth Manor facilities.
McAsphalt Industries Limited
Workers employed by McAsphalt received a union certificate on 20 May 2026.
Based in Toronto, McAsphalt Industries Limited specializes in asphalt products and services. They have facilities throughout Canada, including one in Acheson, where these workers are employed.
Local 955 of the International Union of Operating Engineers filed the application last month in behalf of workers employed by McAsphalt Industries Limited.
IUOE 955 had applied to the ALRB to have the new bargaining unit represent all workers employed at the Acheson location, except those working in clerical position. They claimed the proposed bargaining unit would cover 33 workers.
Precision Construction & Decora Inc.
On the 22nd, the ALRB issued a certificate to general construction carpenters employed by Precision Construction & Decora Inc.
The Calgary-based company is home builder.
I do not have a record of when these workers filed for union certification, but I wrote a story last summer regarding a similar certification by the same union.
Last June, Local 2103 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America filed an application on behalf of construction workers employed by Edge Craft Industries Inc.
Technically, it was 3 applications: one for non-construction carpenters, one for general construction carpenters, and one for all workers except “office, clerical, construction, and maintenance personnel”.
The company contact in those applications was John Olivito, which happens to be the same name as the person who owns Precision Construction & Decora Inc.
Edge Craft Industries was registered as an Alberta corporation in April 2024.
The following year, Precision Construction & Decora received notification of dissolution for failing to file their annual returns. They were struck from the provincial registry last December, two months after Edge Craft was struck from the provincial registry.
Incorporation for Precision Construction & Decora was renewed this past January, a month after being struck off.
This month’s update of active certificates no longer contains Edge Craft Industries, so this is likely just a change of employer in this bargaining arrangement.
Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions Canada GP
The ALRB issued a certificate on 25 May 2026 for workers employed by Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions Canada GP.
The employer is a division of Veolia Canada, which is based out of Montréal and is a child company of the France-based Veolia.
Veolia Water Technologies specializes in wastewater and water management for municipalities.
The dozen or so workers employed by Veolia are employed in Edmonton and will be represented by Local 777 of Unifor.
It is probably a good thing they are unionized now, too, given that Veolia owed nearly $83,000 in unpaid compensation last year.
Even though these workers received their certification last month, Alberta Mediation Services shows that they ratified a mediated collective agreement with Veolia this past March.
Mediation Services included just wage increases for the new 4-year collective agreement, which includes 4% for 2026, 3% next year, and 2.25% in each of the final two years.
The union certification will apply to all of Veolia’s workers except those in office, clerical, or sales positions.
On a related note, workers at a sibling company—Veolia Waste Services Alberta Inc.—were certified as a bargaining unit last August.
Heartland Generation Ltd.
The final certificate issued by ALRB last month came on the 27th.
It was for workers employed by Heartland Generation Ltd.
Heartland was created in September 2019 by Energy Capital Partners, when it acquired power generation facilities in Alberta and British Columbia. TransAlta purchased Heartland from ECP in 2024.
Prior to this month’s update to active certifications, these workers were covered by a certificate that was attached to ATCO Power Canada Ltd.
These workers are represented by the Canadian Energy Workers Association, which also represents workers employed with ACTO Electric and CU Inc.
As well, CEWA applied last September with the ALRB to represent workers employed with Ashcor Technologies Ltd., a subsidiary of ATCO.
In all of the above cases, the next step for these workers will be to elect a bargaining committee to begin negotiating their first collective agreement;.
