Murray Wood: Requiem for a newsman
Murray Wood says there's a reason there'll never be another Lloyd Robertson in Canada, and it isn't just because of the ...
EDMONTON — The union representing 51,000 striking Alberta teachers is set to resume negotiations with the provincial government’s bargaining team after the long weekend.
The meeting would be the first since the provincewide strike began Monday, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association said it was spurred by the success of recent side talks.
Union spokesperson Heather Grant said in an email that further formal discussions could take place if the meeting set for Tuesday is successful.
Finance Minister Nate Horner’s office confirmed the provincial bargaining committee received a draft proposal from the teacher’s union Thursday, which his office said was “complex.”
“(The committee) is now reviewing the complex proposal and needs some time to evaluate its merits,” Horner’s office said.
“We will bargain on Tuesday as proposed by the (union).”
Grant didn’t say what the union’s new offer included.
“Exchanging proposals is an aspect of bargaining,” Grant said. “Both parties are meeting back at the table to move forward.”
Horner said earlier Thursday that he’s pleased the union accepted the government’s offer to get back to bargaining and that he hoped the union was coming with a proposal that “is reasonable, fair, and adequately represents the terms that teachers want to see reflected in their deal.”
“We are focused on a securing a deal that is fair to teachers, students and Alberta taxpayers,” he said.
The union said a mediator was also set to take part in Tuesday’s meeting.
Teachers walked off the job Monday amid stalemated contract discussions.
The job action — considered the largest walkout in provincial history — stems from a dispute with Premier Danielle Smith’s government over long-standing concerns, including wages, overcrowded classrooms and lacking supports for students with complex needs.
The government’s latest offer, overwhelmingly rejected in a vote by teachers, included a 12 per cent wage increase over four years and a commitment to hire 3,000 more teachers.
The strike affects some 740,000 students across 2,500 schools.
David Tait, president of the union’s Foothills Local 16, received news of the return to bargaining during a rally in Okotoks, south of Calgary.
Tait, who is not on the union’s bargaining committee, said the onus of getting a deal done falls on the government.
“The government knows what we want,” he said.
“When there’s something in front of teachers, we’ll vote on it and the membership will have its say and we’ll move forward from there … hopefully in a positive way.”
Christian Schell, who teaches in Brooks, was one of a few hundred people at the rally. He said teachers would much rather be in their classrooms.
“We didn’t become teachers to stand here and have to fight for those needs. But unfortunately, when some people aren’t doing the right thing, we want to step in and do the right thing. So we’re going to fight for our students,” he said.
Karissa Newman, 12, was at the rally with her father, a teacher. She said the uncertainty of the strike has her worried.
“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “It could last forever, it could last a couple of days.”
“I’m missing all my friends and just, in general, the teachers and stuff. I miss my musical theatre.”
Also Thursday, a lockout order from the province went into effect, stopping teachers from changing how they strike, taking options like rotating job action off the table.
The lockout also means school boards have the option to start laying off other school staff, such as educational assistants and custodians, who have been working since the strike began.
Jason Foster, a labour relations professor at Athabasca University, said the delay in issuing the lockout made him furrow his brow.
“The (government) had plenty of notice,” he said. “They could have easily issued their lockout notice to align with the strike deadline, so I’m not sure why they didn’t.”
The Canadian Union of Provincial Employees, which represents educational assistants, and some school custodians and bus drivers, said it had already received some layoff notices.
A spokesperson for the union, Lou Arab, said the notices affect about 40 bus drivers in High Prairie, along with about 230 staff with the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division in Lethbridge.
A spokesperson for the Lethbridge school division said “due to the Thanksgiving holidays and staff availability” it wouldn’t be able to answer questions about the layoffs until next week.
Bargaining association chair Scott McCormack said earlier this week that rotating strikes by educational assistants earlier this year created “tremendous uncertainty,” and the lockout makes sure that doesn’t happen again.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.
— With files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton and Bill Graveland in Okotoks
Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
