Personal profile
Personal profile
Jason Foster is the director of Parkland Institute and a professor of Human Resources and Labour Relations at Athabasca University. Before becoming an academic, he worked as a policy analyst for non-profit organizations and spent more than a decade as the director of policy analysis of the Alberta Federation of Labour. Jason is the author of, Gigs, Hustles and Temps about precarious work in Canada. He is also author of Defying Expectations: The Case of UFCW Local 401 and co-author of Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces, The Practice of Human Resource Management in Canada and Industrial Relations in Canada (5th ed.). His research interests include workplace injury, union renewal, labour and employment policy, and migrant workers in Canada. He is committed to sharing research to as broad an audience as possible, so that it might contribute to policy change and making people’s lives better.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, St. Mary’s University
… → 2015
M.A., McMaster University
… → 2002
B.A. (Honours)q, University of Alberta
… → 1991
External positions
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Industrial Relations in Canada, Fifth Edition
Foster, J. & McQuarrie, F., 2026, 5 ed. Toronto. 448 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Labour Day Weekend: The Shifts and the Cycles of Work
Cake, S., Foster, J. & Barnetson, B., 15 Jul. 2025, Seasonal Sociology, Second Edition. p. 38-56 19 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Labour Day Weekend: The Shifts and Cycles of Work
Cake, S., Foster, J. & Barnetson, B., 2025, Seasonal Sociology, 2nd Edition. Davidson, T. K. & Park, O. (eds.). 2nd ed. Toronto, p. 38-56 18 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Reading the Zoom Room: Union Negotiators’ Experience of Virtual Bargaining During COVID-19
Foster, J., 2025, In: Labour/ Le Travail. 95, p. 185-208 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal Article › peer-review
Open Access -
The Unhealthy Canadian Workplace
Barnetson, B. & Foster, J., 2025, Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives. Raphael, D. (ed.). 4th ed. Toronto, p. 172-192 21 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Press/Media
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3 problems with the temporary foreign worker program and 3 possible fixes, according to experts
24/09/25
1 Media contribution
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'Fairly significant impacts' possible as Alberta Sobeys distribution centre workers go on strike: prof
19/09/25
1 Media contribution
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Province to launch ad campaign as strike looms in contract standoff with Alberta teachers
18/09/25
1 Media contribution
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