Alberta Government to Pay $30/Day Due to Teachers Strike | Parent Aid

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Alberta Government to Pay Parents $30/Day Amid Looming Province-Wide Teachers' Strike

As schools brace for closure, the province unveils a controversial parent payment plan, drawing sharp criticism from the teachers' union.

The Alberta Government will pay eligible parents $30 per day per child because of a looming teachers' strike set to shutter schools across the province.

The move comes after members of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) overwhelmingly rejected the latest contract offer from the province, with a staggering 89.5 percent of teachers voting no.

A full-scale strike is now expected to begin on October 6, a development that would impact over 700,000 students in public, Catholic, and francophone schools.

In response, the government announced its Parent Support Payment Program to offset costs for families with children aged 12 and under.

This controversial plan promises to redirect money saved from unspent teachers' salaries directly to parents.

Finance Minister Nate Horner confirmed the payments would be retroactive to the strike's first day, with the initial disbursement scheduled for October 31.

Premier Danielle Smith expressed disappointment with the union's decision, stating the rejected offer was generous and included a 12 percent wage increase and funds for 3,000 new teachers.

The government's strategy has been met with a swift and sharp rebuke from teacher representatives.

ATA president Jason Schilling argued the payment is a political maneuver that avoids the core issues of classroom complexity and underfunding.

“The government would rather pay parents to wait out a strike than pay teachers to prevent one,” Schilling stated.

He pointed out that the $30 daily payment per child is nearly double what the province spends on a student's daily instruction.

The core of the dispute remains centered on classroom conditions and compensation.

Alongside the payments, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced a free online toolkit to help parents support at-home learning.

With no new talks scheduled, school boards in Edmonton and Calgary are notifying families to prepare for indefinite closures.

This historic job action marks a deeply uncertain time for students, parents, and educators across Alberta.