Huge turnout for teachers forces street closure downtown: Calgary police

Thousands of Albertans rallied across Alberta in support of teachers one day before the teachers' strike was set to begin.

Calgary police closed part of Fourth Avenue S.W. Sunday afternoon due to a huge turnout for a teacher’s rally at McDougall Centre.

Fourth Avenue between 4th Street and 7 Street S.W. was closed until after 5 p.m.

The rally comes hours before teachers are set to strike across the province.

Earlier Sunday, Edmonton teachers and their supporters gathered at a rally outside Alberta’s legislature said it’s clear what they’re looking for, despite claims from Premier Danielle Smith that their union appears disconnected from what front-line educators want in a new contract.

“We will use our voices so that nobody is confused about what teachers need in this province,” Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling told a crowd of thousands in Edmonton on Sunday, a day before the union’s 51,000 members were poised to strike.

Calgary police advise motorists to use alternative routes.

With files from The Canadian Press