One municipal councillor is suggesting that he and his colleagues can’t come to a consensus with industry about reducing fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers.
Jeff Peddle presented seven motions at Tuesday’s meeting that involve the FIFO workforce, Bill 8 and Bill 21.
Peddle said it is time for industry to take them seriously.
“I want to have a great relationship with industry but my overall goal is to have more people living in our region and certainly more businesses succeeding. We need more bodies in our municipality, bottom line.”
The motion states during the May 22 council meeting, council debate a reduction in the FIFO workforce, increase of local employees and utilization of the YMM International Airport and that ultimately the RMWB consider FIFO an unacceptable practice.
Furthermore, the motion would also have the RMWB engage an independent party in a public consultation on the issue of FIFO and have an independent negotiator who lives in the region negotiate with industry on the subject. Both results of the engagements would be reported at a public meeting along with a review of signed records between the RMWB and industry addressing employee living arrangements and a rotational, FIFO workforce.
Finally, the motion would also have Mayor Don Scott write a letter to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley requesting that the province investigates into FIFO issues along with work commutes in the region and taxation on work camps.
Mayor Don Scott would also write a letter to the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs, Shaye Anderson requesting our region be grandfathered or exempt to Bill 8 and Bill 21 which would have our region make a 10 year transition plan for a 5:1 tax ratio.
