Overview

• About 51,000 ATA members walked off the job, halting classes, transportation and extracurriculars at roughly 2,500 public, Catholic and francophone schools.
• Teachers overwhelmingly rejected the province’s package offering a 12% raise over four years, 3,000 new teacher hires and COVID-19 vaccine coverage.
• ATA president Jason Schilling cites chronic underfunding and complex, crowded classrooms, arguing Alberta needs at least 5,000 additional teachers.
• Premier Danielle Smith says the government is ready to return to bargaining; the province is providing $30 per day per child 12 and under and has posted K–12 learning resources with temporary flexibility for high school credits.
• Parents are scrambling for child care as a small-business group warns productivity could fall when employees stay home with children.