2025 Alberta teachers' strike

2025 Alberta teachers' strike
Date	October 6, 2025 (2025-10-06) – present (3 weeks)
Location	Alberta, Canada
Caused by	Disagreements over the terms of a new labour contract
Goals	Increased pay, class-size reduction, and additional employee benefits
Status	Ongoing
Parties
Alberta Teachers Association Alberta Ministry of Education Government of Alberta
Lead figures
Jason Schilling Danielle Smith Demetrios Nicolaides
Units involved
51,000 teachers

The 2025 Alberta teachers' strike is an ongoing teachers' strike and labour dispute taking place in Alberta. The strike, organized by the Alberta Teachers' Association, is the result of multiple disagreements with the Government of Alberta over the terms of a new labour contract.

The ATA is seeking better working conditions, increased pay, and class-size reduction. ^[1] The strike was announced on September 29, 2025, after an offer by the government was declined. ^[2] The strike began on October 6, 2025, consisting of 51,000 teachers off work. ^{[3] [4]} Due to the strike, all classes have been cancelled, affecting 730,000 students, ^{[5] [6] [7]} and 2,500 public, separate, and francophone schools. ^[8] On October 7, 2025, the government issued a lockout of all staff. ^[9] The strike will continue indefinitely until either a deal is reached with the Government of Alberta, or there is an order to return to work. ^[10] On October 14, the teachers announced they were willing to negotiate once again.

Alberta's premier, Danielle Smith, has said the teachers are expected to return to work on October 27. ^{[11] [12]}

Causes

Underfunding for education in Alberta was considered to be a key contributor to the dispute. Many schools reported the average number of students per class to have increased to the mid-30s to 40s. By the time of the strike, spending per K-12 student was $13,494 in Alberta, the lowest per province in all of Canada. ^{[13] [14]} Alberta also ranked highest in percentage of per-student funding to independent private schools. ^[15]

Rallies

After the strike announcement, multiple rallies across Alberta were organized (primarily in Calgary and Edmonton), ^[16] mainly to support educators. ^[17] On October 5, 2025, a rally occurred at the Alberta Legislature Building, where thousands of people attended. ^{[18] [19] [20]}

References

1. "Alberta teachers strike likely after union rejects contract offer | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
2. "Alberta teachers edge toward a strike with salaries a key issue". The Globe and Mail. October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
3. Sousa, Aaron. "Alberta parents, schools brace for impact ahead of province-wide teachers' strike". CBC.
4. "Alberta parents, schools brace for impact ahead of province-wide teachers' strike | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
5. Villani, Mark (October 4, 2025). "Lost money, learning and fun: Students struggle with thought of prolonged teachers' strike". CTVNews. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
6. Said, Amir. "Alberta teachers are now on strike. Here's what that means for Calgary students, parents, school support staff". CBC.
7. Press, The Canadian (October 6, 2025). "Classes suspended in Alberta as provincewide teachers strike set to begin today". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
8. "Classes suspended in Alberta as provincewide teachers strike begins | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
9. "Alberta teachers' strike: Teachers' union says proposal 'realistic' | Parent strike payment portal opens | Contract talks resume | Continuing coverage of the Alberta teachers' strike". Calgary Herald.
10. Bell, Rick. "Bell: Danielle Smith appeals to Alberta teachers — 'Call off your strike'". Calgary Herald.
11. "Alberta set to order teachers back to work next week if strike unresolved". The Globe and Mail. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
12. French, Janet (October 17, 2025). "Striking Alberta teachers refuse to engage in talks that exclude pupil-teacher ratio". CBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
13. "Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2025 Edition | Fraser Institute". www.fraserinstitute.org. August 28, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
14. Barrow, Tyler (September 9, 2025). "Classrooms sizes and spending per student remain hot topics in Alberta teacher strike". CTVNews. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
15. Carmichael, Jackie. "'Ideological difference': Private-school funding question approved amid Alberta teachers' strike". Edmonton Journal.
16. "Albertans rally for teachers with strike set for Monday". CityNews Edmonton. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
17. "Ahead of Alberta teachers' strike, thousands rally in Edmonton to support educators". The Globe and Mail. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
18. "Thousands rally at Alberta Legislature for public education as teachers' strike looms". CBC.
19. "Alberta teachers say what they want is clear, hours before strike scheduled to start". CTVNews. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
20. "Alberta teachers rally on Legislature steps ahead of strike | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved October 6, 2025.