Posts by Kendra Strauss

About Kendra Strauss

Kendra Strauss is Director of the Labour Studies Program and Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Simon Fraser University. She is also an Associate Member of the Department of Geography at SFU.

Two workers painting an exterior wall of a building, hanging with harnesses.

New survey data shines light on the extent and impacts of precarious employment in BC

Apr 13, 2023

By Iglika Ivanova and Kendra Strauss

The rise of the “gig economy” and on-demand work through online platforms like Uber and Skip the Dishes has ignited public debate about precarious work and what makes a “good job.” We all know that precarious work existed long before Uber and is not limited to the gig economy. But government efforts to develop an… View Article

Paid sick leave finally on the agenda: Here’s why it matters

May 27, 2020

By Iglika Ivanova and Kendra Strauss

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that everyone’s health and well-being depends on workers being able to stay home when they are sick. In BC, workers now have a legal right to time off when they are ill—three days for regular illness and unlimited time for COVID-19—but not paid time off. As a result,… View Article

Working multiple jobs to make ends meet: More common in BC than we might think

May 6, 2020

By Iglika Ivanova and Kendra Strauss

The devastating toll of COVID-19 in nursing homes across the country has drawn attention to the fact that many workers in long-term care work at multiple facilities because they need more than one job to make a living, and this has directly contributed to the tragedy that is currently unfolding. Unfortunately, long-term care workers aren’t… View Article

Time to end profit-making in seniors’ care

Apr 22, 2020

By Andrew Longhurst and Kendra Strauss

The coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on serious problems in Canada’s seniors’ care system, as nursing homes quickly became the epicenters of the outbreak. These problems are not only due to the greater vulnerability of seniors to the disease, but also to how care is organized and staffed. In recent weeks, BC’s provincial government… View Article

Temporary Foreign Worker Program changes – who do they help?

Jul 10, 2014

By Kendra Strauss

The Conservative Government’s Minister of Employment and Social Development, Jason Kenney, announced on June 20th 2014 a draft of changes to the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The program has attracted controversy since at least 2006, most recently when the CBC reported that MacDonald’s outlets in Victoria were favouring temporary foreign workers over Canadians… View Article

A progressive take on BC issues

A progressive take on BC issues

Posts by Kendra Strauss

About Kendra Strauss

New survey data shines light on the extent and impacts of precarious employment in BC

Paid sick leave finally on the agenda: Here’s why it matters

Working multiple jobs to make ends meet: More common in BC than we might think

Time to end profit-making in seniors’ care

Temporary Foreign Worker Program changes – who do they help?