Fifty-one thousand public-education teachers across Alberta hit the picket lines Monday, closing public and catholic schools across the province, leaving thousands of students at home.
The economic and social impacts of the strike will depend on how long it lasts. With neither the province nor the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) currently negotiating a new collective agreement, many parents are preparing for a lengthy disruption.
ATA president Jason Schilling criticized the government’s decision to offer financial aid to families during the strike, writing on social media that “the government has now promised parents $30 per day per student when teachers are on strike. This amounts to almost twice as much as teachers are paid to teach those same students in their classrooms.”
In response to the strike, the province has announced a package of measures to help families and students cope with school closures, calling the strike the largest in Alberta’s history.
Under the province’s Parent Payment Program, eligible parents and guardians will receive $30 per day per student, or $150 per week, for as long as the strike continues. Garrett Koehler, Press Secretary for the Ministry of Education and Children says parents will be able to apply for financial relief through their My Alberta account beginning October13, with payments retroactive to October 6th.The Koehler confirmed the payments are non-taxable benefits, meaning families will not have to declare them as income.
Other supports include a free online education toolkit to help parents continue lessons at home. The province will temporarily increase the child care subsidy, with funding of up to $644 for full-time out-of-school care after five consecutive strike days. The 10-credit limit on distance education for Grades 10 to 12 will be lifted, allowing high school students to continue earning credits online. Families may also enrol in home education through a supervising independent school, with grants of up to $450.50 per child.
Children 18 and under will receive free admission to Alberta’s provincial museums and heritage sites for the duration of the strike, including the Oil Sands Discovery Centre in Fort McMurray, the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
West Edmonton Mall is also offering teachers free access to Galaxy land & the water park.
Speaking to reporters in Montreal on Monday, Premier Danielle smith urged teachers to come back to the bargaining table, saying the two sides are not that far apart.
The teachers recently voted against the government’s latest offer, which included hiring 3,000 more teachers over three years to address crowded classrooms.
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