Coaldale council discusses new AUPE proposal

Town of Coaldale

During its Oct. 6, 2025, regular council meeting, Coaldale town council voted unanimously to acknowledge the receipt of a new proposal from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), as well as agree that any change to the town’s current negotiation mandate should be addressed by a newly elected council.

On Oct. 2, AUPE issued a media release announcing to its Coaldale members that it had submitted a new proposal to the town.

In response, Coaldale town council discussed the matter during its October 6, 2025 Regular council meeting, and passed the following motion:

“That council acknowledges receipt of the proposal from AUPE and notes that given that we are in the midst of an election, council agrees that any alteration of the negotiation mandate is more appropriately addressed by the newly appointed council.”

“We acknowledge receipt of AUPE’s latest proposal, but with advance polls opening on Thursday this week, we determined that it would be irresponsible for this council to bind the next one, as well as residents, to a multi-year collective agreement with AUPE”, said Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “Since the very beginning of our term, we’ve made transparency with residents a priority. This decision reflects our commitment to that principle. Out of respect for voters, we need to let the democratic process play out so a newly elected council can look at this situation with fresh eyes and get up to speed on the file.”