Most teachers would have agreed to have worked those days to earn some of the pay they lost during the strike. However the government is not giving any more money to schools. They would also have increased costs for caretakers, support staff, bussing, other non-ATA employees. The government is not paying for any of that, and that is why schools are closed and the calendar is not changing.
If you want to keep the title of the lowest funded schools, you just can't go funding all these sorts of things.
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We don't acknowledge stats and weekends when adding up the days teachers don't have to be at school. How else are we going to make our argument that teachers get lots of money for their part-time jobs?!!
Dani should have legislated away the break. Imagine all the irreparable harm that's going to go on next week.
That would mean dead-eye Dani would need to work more herself. It is hilarious how all of these Cons who are bashing on teachers for not working enough give the UCP a free pass.
Let's recap: The UCP has one of the biggest cabinets in our province's history and each cabinet minister gets a significant pay increase over their regular MLA salary (which the UCP just gave a healthy raise too). Having more people in cabinet means that each person in cabinet has less work to do for their $200K+ salaries.
Smith's cabinet is 25 members.
Carney's cabinet is only 28 ministers.
And then even with that massive cabinet, Smith set the legislature schedule so that they only needed to be in session 51 days of the year. 51 days of the ENTIRE YEAR.
In contrast, the Federal government is in session 53 days just between September-December and definitely would have sat more this year if not for the election.
But ya, let's call the Teacher's jobs cushy.
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That would mean dead-eye Dani would need to work more herself. It is hilarious how all of these Cons who are bashing on teachers for not working enough give the UCP a free pass.
Let's recap: The UCP has one of the biggest cabinets in our province's history and each cabinet minister gets a significant pay increase over their regular MLA salary (which the UCP just gave a healthy raise too). Having more people in cabinet means that each person in cabinet has less work to do for their $200K+ salaries.
Smith's cabinet is 25 members.
Carney's cabinet is only 28 ministers.
And then even with that massive cabinet, Smith set the legislature schedule so that they only needed to be in session 51 days of the year. 51 days of the ENTIRE YEAR.
In contrast, the Federal government is in session 53 days just between September-December and definitely would have sat more this year if not for the election.
In case anyone wants to hear the Calgary Southeast MLAs (Matt Jones) response to the use of the NWS clause here you go:
Spoiler!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and apologies for the delay as we are receiving high volumes of correspondence. I agree with your points on the importance of creating strong learning environments and ensuring classrooms have the resources needed for students to thrive.
I believe deeply in the importance of education and in equipping teachers with the tools and resources they need for students to succeed. Throughout my time as an MLA, I have met with teachers to hear directly about the challenges facing their classrooms and proposed solutions. Alberta’s student population has and is increasing rapidly, and with that growth comes greater diversity and complexity in student needs. These realities place enormous pressure on teachers who are already working tirelessly to provide the best possible education for every child.
Concerns about class sizes, classroom complexity, and the availability of resources are not abstract—they shape the daily experience of both teachers and students. When classrooms are overcrowded, it becomes harder to give each student the attention they deserve.
I want to emphasize my commitment to fostering collaboration to address these challenges. You mention the importance of transparency and accountability, and I continue to advocate for policies that include measurable outcomes and meaningful teacher input. I have consistently brought forward the concerns of my constituents regarding education, including the need for more schools in Calgary-South East, class sizes, complexity, and teacher resourcing. I am pleased to see and support recent commitments by the Government of Alberta to address education pressures. The government has pledged to:
Build More Schools
Modernize Education Funding to ensure transparency and responsiveness.
Implement Data-Driven Planning so resources are deployed where they are needed most.
Add Student Supports for those with complex needs, including mental health and learning challenges.
Make Classrooms Safer by addressing violence and aggression, ensuring every teacher and student feels secure.
Create the Class Size and Complexity Task Force, giving teachers, parents, and education leaders a direct voice in shaping policy.
These measures will not solve every challenge overnight, but they represent a foundation for meaningful change.
Regarding my support of Bill 2 and the use of the notwithstanding clause (Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms), as of Monday, October 27th there was still no prospect of a timely resolution to the strike which had disrupted families and prevented hundreds of thousands of children from attending school for three weeks.
Democratically elected legislatures are responsible at times for balancing the interests and rights of the public, including families, children, employees and employers. This is a difficult balance, but in this case all other options risked unacceptable further disruption and uncertainty for children, who needed to return to school, and their families.
This was one of the hardest votes I’ve had to make, and ultimately, it was made with the well-being of children and families in mind.
I understand that many people disagree with the use of legislation and the inclusion of the notwithstanding clause. I understand and respect those concerns and I endeavor to balance interests, rights, and the public interest to the best of my ability while I continue to represent Calgary-South East.
Sincerely,
After this I had asked for clarification on why they opted not to order the teachers back to work and go to binding arbitration. This was his response:
Spoiler!
Before taking this course, Alberta’s government carefully examined every available option. Binding arbitration had the potential to extend the dispute and leave students and their families vulnerable to further disruptions through the rest of the bargaining process once talks shifted to the local bargaining tables. In short, the use of legislation and the notwithstanding clause was the only course to guarantee stability, protect students, and prevent further harm to Alberta’s kids.
Sincerely
Now I don’t know the makeup of the ATA union and all of their locals. Are there multiple locals? Does each local have to ratify the CBA separately or is it all done through the ATA?
Either way the use of the notwithstanding clause for bargaining with a union is completely over the line and a gross misuse of legislation.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by puckhog
Everyone who disagrees with you is stupid
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The explanation provided in an email was that they simply did not have enough time to shift instructional days around. Logistically, it was simply easier to continue the school year as is.
But also, after being treated like dog ####, why would they bend over backwards for this government? Get a grip before posting.
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You mean "Heavily biased and foreign controlled article".
Financial Post is owned by Postmedia, which is owned by Chatham Asset Management, an American hedge fund owned by very active and influential republicans.
Being a corporatist shill is one thing, being an American corporatist shill is something else.
You mean "Heavily biased and foreign controlled article".
Financial Post is owned by Postmedia, which is owned by Chatham Asset Management, an American hedge fund owned by very active and influential republicans.
Being a corporatist shill is one thing, being an American corporatist shill is something else.
In fairness to the US owned rag, this was an opinion piece written by the president of Secondstreet.org which is a Conservative leaning "think tank" that is a member of Preston Manning's Canada [Alberta License plate slogan] Network. Probably pretty unlikely it'd be commissioned to boost UCP narratives given all those connections.
Oh, ya ok.
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In fairness to the US owned rag, this was an opinion piece written by the president of Secondstreet.org which is a Conservative leaning "think tank" that is a member of Preston Manning's Canada [Alberta License plate slogan] Network. Probably pretty unlikely it'd be commissioned to boost UCP narratives given all those connections.
Oh, ya ok.
lol, right?
The Conservatives love the "opinion" section of their papers so they can say the things that are untrue and get away with it because it is an "opinion" but it still gets to sit there on a news website giving it credibility.
Just to bring statistics to an opinion fight, lets say for example Alberta measures as middling to below average across Canada in outcomes, how does that reflect on the writer of the articles opinions?
Not sure if this was posted anywhere but sure enough the government never intended to hire 3000 additional teachers.
Latest Janet French article essentially says that the money in the March 2025 budget was part of the promise to hire 3000 teachers (1000 a year over 3 years) and since there are 1,045 more teachers this year than there were last year, year 1 requirements have been satisfied.
What a ####ing joke.
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The 2025-26 provincial budget, which was approved by the legislature in March, assumed Alberta schools would add 1,045 full-time teaching positions between 2024 and 2025.
School boards had forecasted hiring 850 more teachers with the money provided in the budget, and are expected to hire up to 1,000, according to Elizabeth Harper, communications adviser to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
“These budgeted teacher increases are included in the count of 3,000 teachers,” she said last week in an email.
The government won’t know until late November how many of those positions were filled, she added in the email.
