Alberta announces pay support program for parents with teachers’ strike looming

As Alberta braces for a possible province-wide teachers’ strike, the provincial government has unveiled a financial support initiative aimed at easing the burden on families with young children.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced Monday that the overwhelming majority of its members rejected the province’s latest contract offer. The union had stated that if the deal were rejected, teachers would go on strike as of Oct. 6.

In response, the provincial government announced the Parent Support Payment Program on Tuesday, which will provide eligible parents and guardians with $30 per child, per day, for children under the age of 12 who are affected by school closures.

The province states that the payments are designed to help offset additional expenses, such as childcare and meals, while students are at home. Finance Minister Nate Horner says the funds will come from redirected unspent educational grants.

“Largely unspent teachers’ salaries while they’re striking,” he says.

According to the province, payments will be issued monthly via e-transfer, starting Oct. 31. The program will be retroactive to Oct. 6, ensuring families receive compensation for any missed school days from that date onward.

The ATA says the $30 a day that would be dished out to parents amounts to nearly twice as much as teachers are currently paid.

“In other words, the government would rather pay parents to wait out a strike than pay teachers to prevent one,” says head of the union Jason Schilling in a statement.

NDP leader Naheed Nenshi says Premier Danielle Smith and her government should be calling the union back to the table, accusing the UCP of being willing to spend money on anything except a fair deal.

He says the province’s payment support plan will cost around $15 million per day.

To access funds, eligible parents must create an account online. Registration and verification can be completed online at account.alberta.ca.

Province offering home curriculum guide

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides also announced a toolkit to support children’s learning during a potential strike.

The kit will provide a weekly guide for parents on one of four subjects: language arts, social studies, math, and science. Parents can choose which subjects they’d like their children to follow.

“The toolkit is a resource to assist parents; it is not a mandatory requirement,” says Nicolaides. “If you receive resources from your child’s school, you can use those resources as well.”

Nenshi, in a video posted to social media, blasted the province’s plan, saying that at-home worksheets do not make up for kids being out of class.

“Worksheets are not classrooms,” he says. “Yet, worksheets are the Smith government’s solution to the upcoming teachers’ strike.”

More information on the tool kits and support payments can be found at Alberta.ca.

No talks scheduled ahead of strike deadline

Schilling says that no talks are scheduled, and 51,000 teachers are still set to hit the picket lines on Monday.

The proposed deal, rejected by the teachers, included a 12 per cent pay increase over four years and the hiring of 3,000 additional teachers to reduce class sizes. A last-minute addition to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers also wasn’t enough to secure approval.

“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement,” said Smith on Tuesday. “Negotiations with the union have been going on for many months. What was offered to Alberta educators was very generous.”

Horner echoed those sentiments and said it is now up to the union to take the next steps.

“We hope the union sees reason, but if they don’t, we understand the strike is on its way Oct. 6,” he says.

Smith says her government is not planning to bring the Legislature back early to consider back-to-work legislation.

A walkout would affect more than 700,000 students in 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.

With files from The Canadian Press