Talks resume as deadline looms in possible Alberta-wide teachers strike

EDMONTON — The Alberta government and the teachers’ union were back at the bargaining table Friday with under three weeks to go before a possible provincewide strike.

Finance Minister Nate Horner’s office said in a statement that bargaining with the Alberta Teachers’ Association had resumed and the government was presenting its latest offer.

The union, in an update to its members Thursday, said the government’s offer is a response to the union’s latest proposal tabled last week. Union president Jason Schilling hasn’t said what the offer includes.

The return to bargaining came a day after Alberta’s labour relations board announced the two sides had resolved a complaint launched by the government accusing the teachers of bad faith bargaining.

The complaint revolved around a union communication document that claimed provincial negotiators didn’t have the power to negotiate non-wage issues, which the province said wasn’t true.

A consent order issued by the labour board said the parties agreed the matter is over, with outstanding bargaining issues related to pay hikes and COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.

The province announced earlier this year most Albertans would have to start paying for COVID-19 vaccines, though the shots will be free for some groups, including health-care workers.

Horner, in a statement responding to the order, said he was pleased a resolution had been reached.

“This consent order makes clear that none of the outstanding items under negotiation are about classroom complexity, class size or support for students,” he said.

“Alberta’s government has already addressed these concerns (through) our current offer, which would add 3,000 more teachers to classrooms.”

The province’s offer also includes a 12 per cent pay hike over four years, but teachers rejected it back in May and voted nearly 95 per cent in favour of striking.

The union, which represents 51,000 teachers, has said teachers would hit picket lines on Oct. 6 if a deal isn’t reached, disrupting classes for more than 700,000 students across 2,500 schools.

The union, in a statement Friday, said students and families remain its top priority as bargaining resumes.

The union also said the chair of its negotiating team, Peter MacKay, resigned Thursday.

“I was hoping to see things through to the end of this round of bargaining, but I don’t see a path to doing so at this point,” MacKay wrote in a social media post.

MacKay could not be immediately reached for comment.

The union thanked MacKay for his work, but said “his departure does not affect our path forward in bargaining.”

Both the union and the province have accused the other of failing students and are embarking on separate advertising campaigns.

The union has used billboards, TV and radio commercials, teacher testimonials on social media, and postcards and lawn signs to share its message.

The government’s ad campaign started Friday on social media, with a 15-second upbeat message of popping graphics and smiling faces highlighting the government’s offering, including the pay rise and more money to reduce classroom sizes. It ends with a narrator saying, “Now that’s a good deal that keeps kids in the classroom.”

Horner’s office has said the province is still determining what other ad mediums it might use and how much it will all cost.

Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said Friday the United Conservative Party government should put its ad campaign dollars towards improving the education system.

“That’s a terrible waste of money that could be spent on reducing class sizes, raising per student funding and fairly compensating our excellent teachers,” Chapman said in a statement.

Premier Danielle Smith and Horner have said provincial coffers can’t afford a bigger pay hike for teachers and they must choose between higher salaries or more staff to address classroom sizes.

Schilling has said an additional 3,000 teachers over three years won’t adequately fix overcrowding. He also said the province’s wage offer doesn’t make up for years of little to no salary adjustments and inflation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press