The Alberta government announced financial assistance and learning resources to students and parents in the event of a teacher strike

Edmonton(ATB); The Alberta government announced Tuesday that it will provide financial assistance and learning resources to students and parents in the event of a teacher strike, which is set to begin Oct. 6.

Parents and guardians of students aged 12 and under will be eligible to receive $150 per week, per student for the duration of the strike to offset the cost of child care, learning supports and other activities.

Finance Minister Nate Horner said funding for the program would come from redirecting unused educational grants — particularly from unspent salaries while teachers are on strike.

“That money will be used to support families as they determine how to navigate life with schools closed,” Horner said at a news conference.

The announcement followed teachers’ rejection of the latest proposed agreement between the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association. On Monday, the ATA announced that 89.5 per cent of teachers voted against the offer.

Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides speaks to media in Calgary on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 regarding a looming teacher’s strike. He is joined by Premier Danielle Smith and Finance Minister Nate Horner.

“Instead of doing the very thing that teachers have been asking for — investing in our classrooms — the government has now promised parents $30 per day per student when teachers are on strike. This amounts to almost twice as much as teachers are paid to teach those same students in their classrooms,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.

“In other words, the government would rather pay parents to wait out a strike than pay teachers to prevent one.”

According to the ATA, the average teacher is paid $478 per operational day, with those newer to the profession earning less. When divided by a class size estimate of 30 students, that amounts to about $16 per student per day.

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The province has also created a free online toolkit to assist with at-home learning, if families so choose, which includes a week-by-week guide for core subjects.

“We understand that the possibility of a teacher strike brings uncertainty and concerns for families,” said Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s minister of education and childcare. “That’s why Alberta’s government is supporting families with practical tools and resources to help maintain their child’s learning if schools are closed.

 “This parent toolkit offers flexibility, choice and curriculum-aligned materials to empower families, ease the pressure they’re facing and keep students engaged.”

Meagan Parisian, vice-president of the Alberta School Councils’ Association, said the short-term relief offered by the financial assistance program “certainly doesn’t outweigh the long-term effects of chronic underfunding.”

 “The things that we’re talking about today are not just about today,” she said. “They’re about tomorrow, and five years and 10 years down the road.”

Parisian said she’s heard nothing but support for teachers from other parents.

 “We have classrooms that are overcrowded, we have students in makeshift open-air classrooms with weird partitions that might be fabric or otherwise — they’re using infrastructure that was never meant to be classrooms,” she said.

“There’s also the basic resources and supports that teachers are asking for as part of the collective bargaining process that, if are not addressed, are really going to create some lack and without them, we’re setting students up to fail from the start.

 “When parents are looking at the state of their classroom, they just want what’s best for their kids.”

As the strike approaches, parents’ main concerns are the potential for learning loss and child-care solutions, but Parisian said she’s been happy to see communities and organizations coming together to find solutions.

 “It’s a reminder that our schools are not just the physical building. They are not just curriculum. They are communities — and communities, in times of struggle, support one another,” she said.

 “Really what this all boils down to is supporting our students and making sure that they have the tools they need to be successful and thrive in the future.”

Many community groups and organizations such as the YMCA are offering additional programming for the duration of the strike to help ease families’ stress.

 “These programs and supports are an extension of those we provide throughout the year, aligned with our purpose as a charity that serves the needs of our community and provides fun, active experiences for children and youth,” YMCA Calgary said in a statement.

All six YMCA locations will be offering three-hour registered programs for kids aged 6 to 9, with additional staff added to accommodate increased numbers in existing drop-in visits for youth aged 10 to 17. Registration is set to open Wednesday at 10 a.m., and additional capacity will be added as needed to meet demand.

 “YMCA Calgary has been supporting families across the city for over 120 years and we are quite used to adding and modifying our programs to meet community need,” the statement said.

Both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District said they will be keeping their communities informed in the coming days about what to expect during the strike.

Premier Danielle Smith said it’s “not too late” to reach an agreement with the ATA before the strike date.

 “We would like to see a negotiated settlement, and we would like to be able to avoid job action,” Smith said. “We hope that they take that seriously, call it off, and then come back to the table.”