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No talks planned as 51,000 Alberta teachers set to hit picket lines next week

  • Fakiha Baig

    Fakiha Baig

  • Canadian Press

  • September 30, 2025

Charis Routley, 11, blows bubbles with friends as they join a student walk out and protest in support of pay for teachers and funding for schools at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

EDMONTON -- The head of the Alberta Teachers' Association says no talks are scheduled and 51,000 teachers are set to hit picket lines Monday in a provincewide strike.

Jason Schilling says teachers sent a clear message Monday night by overwhelming rejecting the latest contract offer from Premier Danielle Smith's government.

Schilling, in an interview on Corus radio, says the government's offer of a 12-per-cent pay raise over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers is a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed to catch up on wages and reduce overcrowded classrooms.

He says the government's suggestion that teachers are out of touch with their demands is "ludicrous."

Finance Minister Nate Horner says he's disappointed with the vote, which saw almost 90 per cent of teachers reject the deal.

Horner also laid blame on union leaders for not explaining clearly to the government negotiators what teachers are looking for.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2025.