Schools closed due to strike beginning October 6, 2025
Alberta parents brace for uncertainty as 51,000 teachers strike
FORT McMURRAY — Fifty-one thousand public-education teachers across Alberta hit the picket lines today, closing schools in both the Fort McMurray Public and Catholic divisions and leaving thousands of students at home.
The economic and social impacts of the strike will depend on how long it lasts. With neither the province nor the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) currently negotiating a new collective agreement, many parents are preparing for a lengthy disruption.
Harvard Media News spoke with several parents who asked to remain anonymous to protect the privacy of their children and avoid any potential backlash at school.
Most parents interviewed expressed support for the teachers’ job action, particularly on the issue of class sizes.
“Forty kids in one class is too much,” said one parent. “We need to have a cap on class sizes, not just a commitment to hire more teachers and EAs.”
Another parent took the opposite view, saying the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the province were “playing politics with people’s children.”
“They’ve reduced my children to mere dollar figures, not people,” said the parent.
ATA president Jason Schilling criticized the government’s decision to offer financial aid to families during the strike, writing on social media that “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.”
That comment drew mixed reactions from parents interviewed by Harvard Media, some of whom said they supported the temporary aid but felt it underscored the government’s failure to reach a settlement. One parent said the comment shows the ATA sees those most affected by the job action as simply dollar figures, not children needing education.
Government outlines supports for families
In response to the strike, the province has announced a package of measures to help families and students cope with school closures, calling the strike the largest in Alberta’s history.
Under the province’s Parent Payment Program, eligible parents and guardians will receive $30 per day per student, or $150 per week, for as long as the strike continues. Garrett Koehler, Press Secretary for the Ministry of Education and Children says parents will be able to apply for financial relief through their My Alberta account beginning October13, with payments retroactive to October 6th.The Koehler confirmed the payments are non-taxable benefits, meaning families will not have to declare them as income.
Other supports include a free online education toolkit to help parents continue lessons at home. The province will temporarily increase the child care subsidy, with funding of up to $644 for full-time out-of-school care after five consecutive strike days. The 10-credit limit on distance education for Grades 10 to 12 will be lifted, allowing high school students to continue earning credits online. Families may also enrol in home education through a supervising independent school, with grants of up to $450.50 per child.
Children 18 and under will receive free admission to Alberta’s provincial museums and heritage sites for the duration of the strike, including the Oil Sands Discovery Centre in Fort McMurray, the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the government remains focused on minimizing disruption for families.
“While I am disappointed by the ATA’s decision to strike, we remain focused on what matters most, our kids and their education,” Nicolaides said in a statement.
Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir added that free museum admission offers “meaningful learning opportunities” for children during the disruption.
Still, the majority of parents Harvard Media spoke to said they have the same feeling of trepidation they had when schools were closed for an indeterminate period of time during the COVID pandemic, and they expressed concern that neither the Government of TEBA are working to hammer out a deal.
The Alberta Legislature is not scheduled to resume sitting until October 23, meaning any legislation or new funding measures related to the strike will have to wait until later this month.
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