Overview

• Mediated bargaining ended in an impasse this week, with the Alberta Teachers’ Association rejecting the province’s salary terms and not yet issuing a 72-hour strike notice.
• The government says its latest package includes a 12% wage increase over four years, additional boosts covering 95% of teachers, and hiring 3,000 teachers over three years at an estimated $750 million.
• Education and finance ministers accused the union of playing politics, argued the offer aligns with other provinces, and said they do not expect to raise it given the projected deficit.
• The Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association has activated authority to lock out teachers and says it would use it only reactively, while the government has not ruled out legislative tools.
• The ATA maintains core issues include class sizes, supports for complex needs, and new workload from book restrictions and gender-identity rules, and its president said students will be in school next week as leaders weigh next steps.