A teacher strike or lockout is the worst thing that could happen to a generation of students already educationally scarred by COVID-19 school closures.

Let’s hope neither happens. Talks go on between the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA).

The dispute could be resolved, or get very serious within days.

“I know this causes anxiety and uncertainty, and people are unsure what’s going to happen,” ATA president Jason Schilling says.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

“Teachers don’t want to strike. They want to be in the classroom with their students.”

But he notes that national comparisons show Alberta has the lowest per-student education spending in Canada, about $9,000.

The spending gap with Ontario is a

See Full Page