Alberta Teachers’ Association says ‘nothing new to report’ as strike looms; province urges return to talks

Many Calgary families are in a panic as teachers prepare to strike Monday. Tyler Barrow reports.

Alberta’s education minister is urging the teachers’ union to return to the bargaining table, but the Alberta Teachers’ Association says there is no progress to share as a province-wide strike approaches.

More than 50,000 teachers are poised to walk off the job Monday, a move that would close classrooms for an estimated 730,000 students across the province.

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Cory Hare, spokesperson for the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), said Thursday there has been no shift in the standoff.

“At this point, the only thing we can say is that there’s nothing new to report,” Hare said in an emailed statement to CTV News.

Minister says province is willing to adjust

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CTV News the government has not received any updates from the union since earlier this week but insists his team is ready to resume negotiations.

“Our position is that we are ready, willing to accept the ATA to come back to the table,” Nicolaides said Wednesday.

“There’s no need to go to a strike. We’re asking them to go talk with their members, come back to the table and give us complete clarity over what’s required so that we can help.”

Nicolaides pointed out this is the second time a tentative agreement has been reached by negotiators but later rejected by teachers.

A deal voted down earlier this week included promises to fund 3,000 new teaching positions and 1,500 more educational assistants (EA) by 2028, along with wage increases of 12 per cent over four years.

He said the province is open to expanding those commitments.

“Instead of 1,000 teachers, if we need to look at 1,500 teachers or more EAs, let’s have that conversation,” he said.

“We’re certainly more than willing to do what’s necessary to help facilitate classroom conditions.”

‘Doesn’t even begin to undo the damage’

That commitment however is being called a “drop in the bucket” by Alberta NDP education critic Amanda Chapman who notes that the province needs to increase its support efforts.

“We’ve heard again and again from parents and teachers that education assistants are absolutely essential for kids who need extra help,” she said.

“This is the same government that laid off 20,000 education assistants not that long ago, and now they’re saying they want to add 1,500 back. That doesn’t even begin to undo the damage that was done.”

Nicolaides fired back by saying the government has tried to address workload pressures with new investments.

“We committed in the past to hiring 1,000 teachers for the next three years. We also committed back in the spring to put more than $400 million on the table to improve classroom conditions,” he said.

He noted another $300 million has been earmarked for more educational assistants.

ATA president clarifies teacher numbers and bargaining issues

In an interview with CTV News, ATA president Jason Schilling addressed recent media reports suggesting the union is asking for 5,000 new teachers.

“That’s not something we asked for at the bargaining table,” Schilling said.

“We were asked what it would take to meet reasonable student-teacher ratios, and I said more than 5,000 teachers would be needed because the government has underfunded education for so long.”

Schilling also emphasized that negotiations are not currently scheduled.

“We’re open to having conversation with government, but there’s nothing scheduled at the moment,” he said.

He pointed out that the province rejected many of the concrete solutions teachers proposed to address class size and classroom complexity, including formulas based on the Alberta Commission on Learning numbers.

“Our central table bargaining committee said put forward hiring 3,000 teachers, which government said they would do. But we know it’s a drop in the bucket,” Schilling said.

Pay and class size at centre of dispute

Teachers have rejected two tentative deals this year, saying wages have not kept pace with inflation and that classroom conditions have become unsustainable.

Schilling noted the long-term impact on educators’ pay.

“Teachers have received a 5.75 per cent wage increase in the last 10 years,” he said.

“If you dial it back to 2019, teachers saw a 3.8 per cent wage increase when inflation was around 20 per cent. That next time we were promised—this is it.”

The government’s most recent offer included a wage increase that would make Alberta teachers the highest paid in Western Canada.

Nicolaides said with other adjustments, 95 per cent of teachers would see increases of 17 per cent or more.

“To put that into perspective, a first-year teacher with no experience would earn about $70,000 and a teacher at the high end with 10 years of experience would earn about $114,000,” he said.

“We think that’s a fair deal.”

Class size and complexity in schools, however, still remain key concerns.

Schilling said formulas based on student-teacher ratios, including adjustments for English-language learners and special needs, were rejected by the province.

“Teachers have taken a stand right now because they care about their students, about their classrooms, about themselves, and they’re willing to put it all on the line to make things better for public education in the province,” he said.

Premier Danielle Smith has said caps are not on the table, citing a shortage of school space.

What parents should know

If a strike occurs, teachers will walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Monday, closing schools across Alberta, including Francophone, Catholic, and public boards.

Schilling urged parents to engage with government officials.

“I understand the convenience, the anxiety and that this causes,” he said.

“But I would encourage parents to talk to government officials about how we got into this situation to begin with and why public education has been underfunded.”

Calgary tutors brace for influx of students

Local tutoring centres are already feeling the pressure as the strike deadline approaches, with parents scrambling for support while classrooms remain uncertain.

Fae Rad, education director at Scholars of Calgary Northwest, said the centre has seen a sharp rise in calls in recent days.

“We’re expecting an increase for sure. On Monday, I was alone working, and I had like, five missed calls, and I had to call them back the next morning,” Rad said.

“Everyone is just in a panic state, especially with high school students because they need more education, like teachers actually teaching them concepts, especially for Grade 12 students who are going to be graduating in less than a year.”

Scholars of Calgary Northwest offers programs from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, as well as college-level tutoring in subjects like math.

Rad said the demand has surged for high school subjects such as chemistry, physics, and math; areas parents often cannot support themselves.

“Before, when we get calls, it’s just, ‘my kid needs a little bit of more help.’ But now it’s like, ‘we are looking for a teacher, not a tutor anymore, because teachers are going to be on strike and there is no one teaching them,’” Rad said.

Hourly rates for high school students range from $50 to $55 per hour, with weekly bills often exceeding $150.

Rad said parents are struggling to cover the costs for multiple sessions but are desperate to ensure their children stay on track academically.

Normally receiving about three calls a week, Rad said the centre is now fielding multiple calls per day.

“Some students aren’t even doing the trial hour with us, they just signed up and are starting next week,” she said.

“On a very busy day, we have like 22 hours of session, and next week we’re expecting at least 30.”

Rad said the surge in demand reflects both parental anxiety and the urgent need for continuity in learning during the potential strike.

“I just hope they get into an agreement soon enough, because I’m actually worried for my students, and I don’t want them to face any trouble regarding their futures,” she said.

Support for parents and students

Nicolaides defended the province’s plan to offer families of children 12 and under $30 per child, per school day (up to $150 per week) in the event of a strike, saying the funding will come from savings on teacher salaries during the walkout.

The first payment would be made on Oct. 31.

“Teachers won’t be working, and so there will not be a requirement for us to provide a certain degree of funding to school boards to pay salaries,” Nicolaides said.

“We want to provide it to parents to support them, they may want to hire a tutor, or they may have additional costs for child care.”

Additionally, the province has launched a free online tool guide for parents and students to keep up with their studies during the strike.

The online portal includes worksheets, practice questions, videos and other study resources for the K-12 curriculum and aid students with at-home learning.

No immediate back-to-work bill

Finance Minister Nate Horner has said there are no immediate plans to reconvene the legislature to pass back-to-work legislation, though he did not rule it out if the strike causes lasting harm to students.

“If you’re going to take that kind of action, that’s kind of a big hammer,” Horner said previously in an interview this week.

“You have to be in a position where it’s causing the kind of harm that can’t be undone — long-term educational harm to the students of Alberta.”

Nicolaides said he is still hopeful a strike can be avoided.

“It doesn’t need to happen,” he said. “Let’s get back to the table, let us know if we need to make adjustments. We’re open to it.”