Alberta teachers to vote on tentative deal as strike date nears; government

The Alberta government says it has struck a tentative deal with the union representing 51,000 teachers provincewide.

Finance Minister Nate Horner says the offer needs to be ratified by the members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, and a vote is to take place in the coming days.

The tentative deal comes less than two weeks before teachers are set to strike.

Talks had bogged down over salaries and investments demanded by teachers to reduce classroom sizes and address teaching complexities.

Horner, in a statement, declined to go into specifics on what’s now on the table but says the offer is good for Alberta’s education system.

The province’s previous offer included hiring 3,000 more teachers and a 12 per cent pay boost over four years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first pu