Court Refuses to Block Teamsters’ Pickets at Sobeys’ Calgary Stores
A Calgary judge has rejected Sobeys Capital Inc.’s request to stop striking Teamsters from picketing the company’s stores in Calgary. The picketing is linked to workers at Sobeys’ Rocky View County distribution centre and a refrigerated warehouse in southeast Calgary.
Justice Feasby of the Court of King’s Bench issued a written decision on November 7, 2025, declining to stay an Alberta Labour Relations Board ruling. This ruling permits Teamsters Local 987 to continue picketing Sobeys-owned Calgary locations during an ongoing strike and lockout affecting 251 warehouse and delivery employees.
The judge’s decision relates to the labour board’s October 15, 2025 ruling (2025 ALRB 126), which determined that the Calgary outlets are valid “places of work” for the striking employees. This designation allows picketing at Sobeys-owned stores but excludes franchised locations.
“The Calgary outlets were legitimate ‘places of work’ for the striking and locked-out employees, allowing picketing at company-owned sites but not franchised ones.” — Alberta Labour Relations Board, Oct. 15, 2025
The ongoing strike involves warehouse and delivery staff who have been locked out, and the court’s decision supports their right to picket company-operated stores in Calgary.
Author’s summary: A Calgary judge upheld the Labour Relations Board’s decision, allowing Teamsters Local 987 to continue picketing Sobeys-owned stores during the strike involving warehouse and delivery workers.