Employees at the Town of Coaldale protested after being locked out by the municipality on Sept. 6, 2025. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Town of Coaldale to have auditor review offers with locked-out workers

Sep 18, 2025 | 9:58 AM

Tensions remain high between the Town of Coaldale and its unionized workforce.

Town council voted unanimously on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, to engage with an independent third-party auditor to review both the Town’s most recent offer to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) and the union’s most recent counterproposal.

Mayor Jack Van Rijn said in a statement to LNN that their job will be to calculate the true percentage increase in each proposal so that residents can see the facts for themselves.

“Over the past week and a half, it’s come to our attention as a Council that there’s an important need to clarify what exactly the Town has offered its unionized staff, and what exactly [it] is AUPE is demanding in terms of wage increases,” says Van Rijn.”

The auditor will be chosen by Van Rijn, along with councillors Jason Beekman and Jacen Abrey.

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The findings of the audit will be shared publicly at a special meeting of council on Monday, Sept. 22.

Van Rijn adds, “This is about transparency and trust – something we as a Council have always and will always take seriously. We have absolutely no reservations about submitting our math for review to external third-party experts.”

AUPE declined to provide any comments to LNN.

The Town and AUPE have been at odds for several months, as both sides have accused the other of making misleading claims and engaging in dirty tactics.

That led to the municipality locking its unionized workforce out of their jobs, as of Sept. 6. You can learn more about what both sides had to say following the lockout in the articles linked below.

READ MORE: Town of Coaldale employees rally after being locked out

READ MORE: Town of Coaldale CAO responds to union’s accusations