Alberta government, teachers’ union butt heads while proposed deal is reviewed

The Alberta Teachers' Association has put forward a new contract proposal that the province estimates would cost an additional $2 billion.

The provincial government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) are butting heads after a proposed deal was put forward following negotiations Tuesday.

A statement from Alberta’s ministry of finance said the ATA needs to come to the table with a “concrete solution rooted in reality,” after estimating the deal would require an additional $2 billion.

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“We remain concerned that the new proposals may not contribute to a reasonable settlement,” said the province.

At a news conference, ATA president Jason Schilling said the proposal is rooted in reality.

“You want reality? Go look at our classrooms across this province,” said Schilling. “You want reality? Look at the overcrowded classrooms we have. Look at the students who don’t have their needs met. Look at the teachers who are teaching in boot rooms, in hallways, on stages of gyms.”

He said he thinks the province is disconnected in what’s happening in schools.

As for the $2 billion the province estimated would be required in the ATA’s proposal, Schilling said it’s within the government’s ability.

“$2 billion is $500 million over the course of four years of the agreement,” he said. “That is something that is responsible … that is achievable by this government.”

At a press conference announcing new licence plates, premier Danielle Smith said the province is looking for a flexible approach when it comes to class complexities.

“Complexity has a whole diversity of manifestations,” said Smith. “What we’re hearing from teachers is that if every kid was in a particular range of ability, then they might be able to accommodate larger class sizes but with inclusions and more complexity, they need more hands on deck, either smaller class sizes or more education assistants.

• Timeline: Contract negotiations with Alberta government, teachers

“We need to maintain that flexibility to be able to assign, that’s why we don’t want the hard caps.”

She added that the ratio of students to teachers in the province should be at 21 to one.

“We should already be able to have class sizes of 21 and so we have to look into (why we don’t).”

When will kids go back to class?

With more than 700,000 students out of school during the teachers’ strike, finance minister Nate Horner said the province will be looking at back-to-work legislation come Oct. 27.

“If we don’t have a deal by the time we’re back in session, we will begin that work almost immediately,” said Horner, speaking with CTV News Calgary.

The minister said he thinks the province and the ATA are still “a ways apart” from making a deal.

Although the legislation looms over teachers, Schilling said they’ve still got time to get to the table.

“We will just have to handle that when we get to that moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, he’d like to keep conversations with the province at the bargaining table.

“We expect them to come back to the table, to have further discussions at that space, and not necessarily in the media,” said Schilling.

More than 50,000 teachers have been on strike since Oct. 6 and have been without a contract since Aug. 31, 2024.

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