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7h ago

Alberta Teachers Return Under Imposed Deal as Labour Leaders Organize Toward Possible General Strike

The province used the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to impose a four-year contract, blocking immediate legal challenges.

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.
Teachers returned to classrooms for the first time since going on strike Oct. 6.
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File photo: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (right) and Premier Peter Lougheed meet in Trudeau’s Parliament Hill office in 1981.

Overview

  • Roughly 51,000 teachers and about 740,000–750,000 students returned to classrooms on Oct. 29 after Bill 2 ended the three‑week strike.
  • The Alberta Teachers’ Association told members to comply with the law and avoid work‑to‑rule, while denouncing the rights override.
  • The Back to School Act imposes a 12% raise over four years and commitments to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 educational assistants, but it sets no class‑size caps and suspends strike action until 2028.
  • Non‑compliance carries fines of $500 per day for individuals and up to $500,000 per day for the union, with the notwithstanding provision shielding the law for up to five years.
  • School systems are making up lost time with November diploma exams optional and extracurriculars resuming in phases, as labour leaders launch recall efforts and begin organizing toward a potential general strike without setting a timeline.