For the first time in Alberta’s history, more than 51,000 teachers have walked off the job, shutting down classrooms across the province.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) says the strike is not about abandoning students but about saving public education from what it calls years of chronic underfunding and overcrowded classrooms.
“Our classrooms, hallways and school fields are empty, and not because we’ve given up on public education,” ATA president Jason Schilling said Monday. “It’s because we care too much about it to stand by and watch it crumble.”
More than 750,000 students are affected across Alberta’s public, Catholic and francophone schools. The provincial government has urged teachers to return to the bargaining table but confirmed it will not recall the legislature early to pass back-to-work legislation.
At the heart of the dispute are classroom conditions and teacher pay.
Educators say wages have not kept up with inflation and that the government’s plan to hire 3,000 new teachers over three years won’t solve the staffing crisis. Many say at least 5,000 teachers are needed to meet class size recommendations.
Teachers have twice rejected offers from the government, including one that promised a 12% pay increase over four years and a $405 million class size fund. Nearly 90% voted against the deal, saying it failed to address the real conditions inside Alberta classrooms.
Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith’s government is offering $30 a day to parents of students under 12 who are missing classes and has lifted limits on distance education credits to help families cope during the strike.
On Sunday, thousands of educators and supporters flooded the Alberta legislature and city streets, carrying signs demanding “respect for education” and “fund our future.”
The ATA says informal talks are continuing but admits there’s no clear timeline for when classrooms will reopen.
Until then, Alberta’s teachers say they’ll stay out — not out of anger, but out of love for their students and their schools.
