Last May, I wrote an article about nurses at a long-term care home filing for unionization.
The United Nurses of Alberta filed the application on 2 May 2025 for workers employed by Silverado Seniors Village Partnership.
This Calgary-based employer operates the Silverado Creek Seniors Community, which is owned by Park Place Seniors Living.
UNA applied on behalf of 20 workers who are employed by Silverado in either direct nursing care or nursing instruction.
The Alberta Labour Relations Board approved the certification, and a majority of the workers voted in favour of unionizing by the end of the month.
In June 2025, the employer filed a unit determination application. They wanted the ALRB to determine whether the following positions should be included in this specific bargaining unit.
- Educator
- Nurse clinician
- MDS/RAI coordinator
- Resource nurse
They, of course, argued that they should not be.
That application was still before the labour board, but an interesting development occurred last month.
In the ALRB’s final new application report for February 2026, which was released last week, the United Nurses of Alberta filed an application with the labour board against Silverado.
Several of their newly unionized members were scheduled to be witnesses in the ongoing determination unit application hearing. According to the ALRB’s summary, the UNA has accused Silverado of trying to intimidate these workers.
The UNA has claimed that Silverado has reduced flexibility in one worker’s day-to-day workload and terminated the employment of another worker.
Apparently, they also gave a termination notice to multiple workers with the explicit intent of rehiring them under a different classification, presumably one that falls outside of the bargaining unit.
ALRB’s application summary also stated that the UNA claimed Silverado messaged other workers to let them know that assisting or supporting the United Nurses of Alberta could lead to adverse treatment, including termination of employment.
Finally, the UNA said in their application that Silverado has removed their determination unit application.
The union is convinced that these actions, which I think qualify as unionbusting, violate multiple sections of Alberta’s Labour Relations Code.
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall participate in or interfere with the representation of employees by a trade union
Labour Relations Code, 148.1.a.ii
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall refuse to employ or to continue to employ any person or discriminate against any person in regard to employment or any term or condition of employment because the person is a member of a trade union or an applicant for membership in a trade union or has testified or otherwise participated in or may testify or otherwise participate in a proceeding under this Act
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.a.i and 149.1.a.i v
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall impose any condition in a contract of employment that restrains, or has the effect of restraining, an employee from exercising any right conferred on the employee by this Act
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.b
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall seek by intimidation, dismissal, threat of dismissal or any other kind of threat, by the imposition of a pecuniary or other penalty or by any other means, to compel an employee to refrain from becoming or to cease to be a member, officer or representative of a trade union
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.b
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall discriminate against a person in regard to employment or membership in a trade union or intimidate or threaten to dismiss or in any other manner coerce a person or impose a pecuniary or other penalty on a person, because the person has testified or otherwise participated in or may testify or otherwise participate in a proceeding authorized or permitted under a collective agreement or a proceeding under this Act
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.g.i
The Alberta Labour Relations Board has not scheduled a hearing on the UNA’s application yet.
Because the ALRB does not archive their new application reports, I have included a copy of last week’s report below for your convenience.
