Last stretch of SK Fairness Express tour - September 30, 2014

From its beginnings in Atlantic Canada, through to Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, the big green Fairness Express bus traveled more than 22,000 kms before reaching Saskatchewan. The Canada-wide tour, sponsored by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), was launched in September of last year as a means of connecting with people across the country, where they live and work, to find out how they are coping with the economy of the post-2008 recession. The core message of the tour stems from the NUPGE All Together Now! campaign promoting tax fairness, public services, good jobs and labour rights.

When the tour kicked off in Saskatchewan on Sep.15th of this year, engagers from the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU) travelled with the bus to several cities and towns, including: Humboldt, Weyburn, Estevan, Assiniboia, Swift Current, Maple Creek, Lumsden, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, North Battleford, Meadow Lake, and Martensville. Currently stationed in La Ronge, the tour will wrap up in Regina on October 11th after stopping in a number of cities and towns along the way (see schedule, below). 

"It's amazing to see how welcoming and receptive the working people in our communities have been to our message,“ said Mary Ann Harrison, SGEU VP of NUPGE. We’ve heard countless stories of people expressing their deep frustrations and a serious loss of hope because they can’t afford to pay the bills and they don’t see themselves getting ahead in life.”

"When having these face-to-face discussions, people really open up to you and you’re able to grasp the reality of what’s happening in Saskatchewan. At a time when our province is booming, we shouldn’t be hearing about so many people being left behind. If everyone paid their fair share and were given the opportunity take home their fair share, we would all reap the benefits of the hard work we put into this province,” added Harrison.

Next scheduled stops Saskatchewan tour:

October 1: La Ronge
October 2: Nipawin
October 3: Tisdale
October 4: Hudson Bay
October 5: Prince Albert
October 6: Wynyard
October 7: Wastrous
October 8: Saskatoon
October 9: Yorkton
October 10: Regina

If you can't make it to one of the tour stops, be sure to visit our online calendar and bus blog.  You'll find updates from the road, photos, videos and stories from what the Fairness Express engagers are seeing, what they are hearing, and who is joining us in this movement.

We will be constantly updating the page to let people know where the bus will be, so FOLLOW THE BUS! You can also follow the tour on social media by following @ATNcampaign or searching for #FairnessExpress on Twitter to find out what is going on. Or check out our regular updates on Facebook.com/ATNcampaign. (Be sure to like us, too!)

For more information: 

Visit www.fairnessexpress.ca

To set up an interview, contact:

NUPGE's Andy Pedersen (apedersen@nupge.ca, 613-710-6743) or

SGEU’s Lara Abu-Ghazaleh (labu-ghazaleh@sgeu.org, 306-551-3114)

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. NUPGE's mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. 

SGEU

The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees` Union (SGEU) represents nearly 20,000 members working in crown corporations, educational institutions, health regions, retail and regulatory industries, community service agencies and public service/government ministries in Saskatchewan. SGEU has been working for over a century to protect the rights of all working people in the province.