Last week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board published their last new applications report for November 2025. In it was an application for union certification.
Local 408 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees filed the application on 18 November 2025 on behalf of workers employed by 2371281 Investment LP.
This company is a subsidiary of Sienna Senior Living Inc., according to their 2024 annual report; although it’s listed as 2371281 Investment LP (Ontario).
Based out of Ontario, Sienna owns senior residences in BC, Ontario, and Alberta, including a 126-suite facility in Medicine Hat, which is where these workers are trying to unionize.
The application summary written by the ALRB indicates that the certification, if approved, would apply to all 127 workers employed at Medicine Hat Care Community. This typically includes licensed practical nurses, health care aides, and those working in kitchens, housekeeping, and maintenance.
For example, the workers at Sienna’s Aspira Britannia facility in southwest Calgary are also unionized with CUPE (but Local 8). They include LPNs, kitchen staff, laundry workers, housekeepers, maintenance workers, concierges, and drivers.
The ALRB has schedule a hearing for this application. It is set for tomorrow (2 December) and will be an opportunity for 2371281 Investment LP. and Sienna to present arguments—if they have any—as to why they think these workers should be unable to unionize with CUPE 408.
CUPE 408 already represents long-term care workers in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat who are employed with Covenant Health and Ridge Country Housing.
In Alberta, unions must show 40% support from workers before applying for union certification. In this case, that would be 51 workers.
Should the ALRB approve the application, they will hold a certification vote, during which time, the nearly 130 workers employed by Compass Group will get to democratically choose whether to unionize.
Assuming the 51 workers who showed initial support decide to follow through and vote for unionization, they would need to convince another 13 of their fellow workers to do the same, in order to win.
If the workers vote to unionize and the ALRB awards them their certification, one of their first orders of business will be to form a bargaining committee to begin negotiating their first collective agreement.
Because the ALRB does not archive their new application reports, I have included a copy of this week’s report below for you convenience.
