Insights and Stories of Dave Bedard

Oct. 16, 2009 at 6:11 pm CDT

Locked-out workers at XL Foods’ beef packing plant at Moose Jaw, Sask. have voted to reject their Alberta parent company’s latest offer and keep walking the line. The workers, who have been without a contract since the end of January, came back from a five-month shutdown last month to a […]

By Dave Bedard

Oct. 2, 2009 at 12:44 pm CDT

The federal Liberals’ agriculture critic is calling for a hard timeline on the federal government’s plan to challenge the U.S. government’s mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL). Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter noted in the House of Commons Wednesday that Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz had announced the government’s plans to challenge […]

By Dave Bedard

Sep. 30, 2009 at 2:29 am CDT

Despite having rejected a contract offer from XL Foods and having been locked out for the foreseeable future, unionized workers at the company’s Moose Jaw, Sask. beef plant plan to keep negotiating. The workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) Local 1400, voted down XL’s offer […]

By Dave Bedard

Sep. 25, 2009 at 3:36 pm CDT

New legislation that’s meant to protect fish in British Columbia’s waterways, and has already been used to turn off some ranchers’ pumps, has others concerned for their water rights. The province last month brought amendments into force for its Fish Protection Act “in anticipation of a need to protect fish […]

By Dave Bedard

Sep. 22, 2009 at 4:43 pm CDT

Employees hoping to return from a five-month layoff at XL Foods’ Moose Jaw, Sask. beef packing plant have now been locked out, according to their union. Citing a shortage of available slaughter cattle, XL had announced April 24 that it would shut down the Moose Jaw facility and lay off […]

By Dave Bedard