Overview

• About 51,000 Alberta Teachers’ Association members began a strike on Oct. 6, suspending classes, transportation and extracurriculars across roughly 2,500 schools.
• The Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association said a lockout will begin Thursday at 1 p.m., describing the move as a way to provide predictability during the dispute.
• Union members overwhelmingly rejected the latest offer of a 12% raise over four years and the hiring of 3,000 teachers and 1,500 education assistants.
• ATA president Jason Schilling says classrooms are overcrowded and underfunded and that at least 5,000 more teachers are needed to reach desired student–teacher ratios.
• Premier Danielle Smith says the government is ready to negotiate and has rolled out $30-per-day payments for children 12 and under along with online K–12 learning toolkits.