Parent payment portal opens for Alberta families during teacher strike

EDMONTON— Alberta families affected by the ongoing teacher strike can now apply for financial assistance through a new government program aimed at helping cover extra child care and learning costs.

The province launched the Parent Payment Program on October 14, offering $30 per day, per student, for every school day missed during the labour disruption. The support is available to parents and guardians of children aged 12 and under who attend public, Catholic or francophone schools affected by the strike.

Applications are open at parentpayment.Alberta.ca or through a link on Alberta.ca. The portal is the only way to access the payment system, and applicants must log in with a verified Alberta.ca Account.

Payments are meant to offset costs such as child care, tutoring or other learning activities while classes remain suspended. The government says the program uses funds redirected from teacher salaries that are not being paid during the strike.

Additional support is available for families of children with disabilities who have active Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) agreements. Those families do not need to apply separately but must include their FSCD file number when applying.

Families with children aged 12 and under who have FSCD agreements will receive an additional $30 per day, bringing their total to $300 per five-day school week. Families of children aged 13 to 17 with an FSCD agreement will receive $60 per day, also totaling $300 per week.

Payments will be issued by Interac e-transfer on the last day of each month and will be retroactive to October 6. The first payments are expected to be processed on October 31.

To qualify, parents or guardians must be Alberta residents and have children enrolled in a public, Catholic or francophone school. Only one parent or guardian per child is eligible.

The government says parent payments are non-taxable, will not affect existing benefits and do not need to be repaid.

More information, including eligibility details and the application link, is available at Alberta.ca.