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7mo ago

Alberta Forces Teachers Back With Bill 2 as Students Stage Provincewide Walkouts

The forced return leaves class-size demands unresolved, prompting union organizing alongside student protests.

Alberta students holding a walkout protest at the legislature in Edmonton on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
James Fowler High School students in Calgary head back to class after the end of the teachers strike on October 29, 2025. The province forced striking teachers back to the classroom with legislation on Tuesday.
Students from Bellerose Composite High School walk out of class to protest of the Alberta Government's use of the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work. Their school is part of more than 70 other schools walking out in protest. Taken on Thursday, October 30, 2025 in St Albert.
More than 1,000 Calgary high school students gathered at City Hall after walking out of class on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. The students were protesting the provincial government’s decision to force striking teachers back to work using legislation and the notwithstanding clause.

Overview

  • The UCP government passed the Back to School Act using the Charter’s notwithstanding clause, imposing a four-year contract that cannot be challenged in court until it expires in 2028.
  • The imposed deal delivers a 12% pay increase over four years and pledges to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 educational assistants, but it contains no class-size caps.
  • Roughly 51,000 teachers returned to work and about 740,000–750,000 students resumed classes, with schools prioritizing catch-up learning, delayed extracurriculars and optional November diploma exams.
  • Bill 2 sets fines of $500 per day for individuals and up to $500,000 per day for the union for non-compliance with the back-to-work order.
  • The Alberta Teachers’ Association says members will comply but plans a legal challenge, while labour leaders have begun organizing for a potential general strike with no timeline set, and thousands of students held walkouts in protest.