EDMONTON — The head of Alberta’s teachers union says the provincewide strike by thousands of his members is about drawing a line in the sand on underfunding and overcrowding that has become so egregious, kids can’t learn.
“We’re in a crisis right now with what’s happening in our schools,” Jason Schilling told a news conference Monday. “Teachers are taking this stand not only for ourselves now but for future generations of students and teachers as well.
“This strike is not just about us. It’s for the students who can’t get the education they deserve because of class sizes and lack of resources for complexity.”
Schilling said Alberta has the lowest per-student funding in Canada. “This lack of funding is one of the key factors that has led to this crisis in education,” he said.
“You can’t keep underfunding the system year after year after year and think that people are going to be OK with it after a while.”
Earlier Monday, the 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association went on strike as promised to back demands for a better deal.
The labour action affects more than 700,000 students across 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.
Premier Danielle Smith, speaking to reporters at an unrelated event in Montreal, said the province is ready to get a deal done when teachers are.
“We are always ready to go back to the bargaining table,” Smith said.
“They were the ones who have unfortunately made the decision to walk off the job, and we’d like them to come back.”
Smith said they expect classroom complexities will be the focus of future talks.
“We think our wage offer is very fair. We put 3,000 new teachers on the table for hire over the next three years (and) 1,500 education assistants,” she said.
The 3,000 extra teachers were part of a deal rejected overwhelmingly by union members a week ago, setting the stage for Monday’s walkout.
The rejected deal also offered a 12 per cent pay raise over four years and money to cover the cost of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Schilling has said that offer is a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed, noting the province needs to hire at least 5,000 more instructors to align with student-teacher ratios.
Across the province Monday, schools shut down. Most school boards — including those in Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray and Lethbridge — have sent notices telling families that classes will be paused.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2025.
— With files from Lisa Johnson in Edmonton and Morgan Lowrie in Montreal
Fakiha Baig and Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
