Alberta offers parents $150 weekly, toolkit amid strike threat
Despite Alberta teachers rejecting a settlement from the government for the second time, the province is stepping in place of teachers after they vowed to strike.
Author: Isaac Lamoureux
Despite Alberta teachers rejecting a settlement from the government for the second time, after one was recommended by a mediator, and another was negotiated and agreed upon by the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association and Alberta Teachers’ Association, the province is stepping up in place of teachers after they vowed to strike despite being given everything they asked for.
The government will provide $150 per week per student to parents of children aged 12 and under in public, separate, or francophone schools affected by a strike. The payments will be funded through redirected, unused education grants and unspent teacher salaries during the job action.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides unveiled a new “parent toolkit” at a Tuesday press conference. to help children continue learning at home.
“This toolkit provides a week-by-week guide for parents to follow the Alberta curriculum,” said Nicolaides. It will cover core subjects, offer practice materials, and be updated weekly in English and French.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Finance Minister Nate Horner, and Nicolaides outlined the support package and their displeasure.
“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement,” said Smith. “What was offered to Alberta’s educators is very generous, and was the highest general wage increase proposed in over a decade.”
She added that the province gave teachers everything they demanded and more.
Smith said the deal included hiring 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants over three years, alongside a 12 per cent salary increase, with over 95 per cent of teachers actually seeing a raise of up to 17 per cent. She added that a top-category teacher would earn $114,800 by 2027.
“That’s the best in Western Canada in a province with lower taxes and no sales taxes,” Smith said. She added it was higher than in British Columbia, which has a much higher cost of living.
Despite the province’s offer, Alberta teachers voted to strike after nearly 9 in 10 rejected the deal.
The premier also pointed to $8.6 billion in school construction funding to build 130 new schools and add 200,000 student spaces by 2030.
She clarified that the biggest issue facing education in Alberta was the more than 80,000 new students in the province over the last three years.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously bashed the federal Liberals’ “reckless” immigration policies.
Alberta’s Immigration Minister Joseph Schow similarly blasted the Liberals, stating they had “lost control of sustainable immigration in Canada.”
Alberta has grown faster than any other province in Canada over the last several years, partially due to repeatedly leading the country in interprovincial migration.
Finance Minister Nate Horner said the province put $2.6 billion on the table, $300 million more than its spring offer, but teachers still rejected it.
“Let’s also remember that the offer that teachers just rejected was put forward last week by the ATA and accepted by TEBA,” he said. “I have to say I’m left questioning what it is exactly the teachers want. I believe it is harmful for the union to strike without clearly understanding and presenting what their members are looking for.”
Nicolaides added that the province will proceed with a $300 million commitment to hire at least 1,500 educational assistants over the next three years, despite the failed agreement.
Smith suggested that there could be a disconnect between frontline teachers and union management.
She explained that she can’t reduce class sizes out of thin air. A lot of students have come to the province and new schools take time to build.
“We just simply have a space restriction. We just had 100,000 kids almost come into the system in three years, and we have a physical space restriction that we are working through,” she said. “So I think we just need to be realistic that it takes some time for that to occur.”
Eligible parents and guardians can begin preparing for the new payment program at alberta.ca/alberta-ca-account. The first payment will be made on October 31 if the strike proceeds.
The free toolkit can be accessed at https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/pt/en/home.
Money isn't the only issue. The teachers asked to discuss class size and conditions, but their request was turned down cold, dead stop, no. The nurses and other unions have life safety provisions in their contracts. The teachers need the same. This issue has not been openly discussed because the Province does not wish to include these issues in the contract. It needs to be opened up.
Perhaps Alberta should implement a voucher system whereby parents can decide to which school they prefer to send their children.