Alberta Crown prosecutors to negotiate with province on new agreement

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Alberta Crown prosecutors have avoided taking strike action as the provincial government has agreed to enter negotiations concerning a framework agreement that would ensure long-term stability of the service.

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Alberta Crown Attorney’s Association president Dallas Sopko said outside the Edmonton Law Courts Monday afternoon the framework agreement would set out the parameters for a subsequent collective bargaining agreement.

“It would acknowledge our association as the representative of all prosecutors, and it would set up ways to resolve disputes and timelines for those issues to be resolved,” Sopko said, adding that other provinces have similar agreements in place. The negotiations are expected to take six weeks.

He said in the interm, the province has made a market adjustment to compensation and committed to providing additional mental health supports for prosecutors.

“These commitments by the government will help to relieve some of the short-term issues plaguing our prosecution service,” Sopko said.

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In a statement, the Alberta government said the market adjustments make prosecutor pay competitive with other provinces and the federal prosecution service, allowing the province to attract new prosecutors and keep experienced prosecutors.

“Paying Alberta’s Crown prosecutors a market rate is critical to ensuring that we have the best and brightest on the job conducting criminal prosecutions on behalf of Albertans,” said Justice Minister Tyler Shandro in the statement.

The association, which represents approximately 400 prosecutors, met with the government last week in an attempt to resolve concerns, including what they’re calling the “chronic underfunding of Alberta’s prosecution service.”

Sopko said the province has acknowledged that certainty is key to long-term stability of the prosecution service, which is “truly groundbreaking.”

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“It is a substantial commitment, one that no other government in the over 50-year history of our association has made,” Sopko said. “For these reasons, a strike will not occur at this time. Instead, our association and our government will dedicate our efforts to work collectively in the best interest of Albertans.”

In March, the association wrote to Premier Jason Kenney outlining their concerns, including “crushing workloads, uncompetitive compensation, and a lack of mental health supports.” The association had said in the absence of immediate and significant change, a strike would ensue.

Sopko believes the letter motivated discussions to where they are now, and members have cautious optimism there will be substantive change.

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“The last 50 years have created legitimate doubt in some of our members’ minds about what will ultimately come out of this negotiation,” he said. “But our members understand and our executive understands that what has happened in the last month is groundbreaking. The government has acknowledged these shortcomings and is willing to work with us.”

But strike action isn’t completely off the table if negotiations disintegrate.

“That’s the last thing we as prosecutors want to do, is to have people denied their day in court,” Sopko said. “But if it’s necessary to ensure the long-term viability of the prosecution service, if we make that determination weeks from now or months from now or years from now, our (association) is ready to do that.”

ajunker@postmedia.com

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