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Students return to class as back to work law brings an end to strike
FORT MCMURRAY— Children across Alberta are back in school on Wednesday, Oct. 29, for the first time since Oct. 6, after provincial legislation ordered teachers to return to work. Bill 2, the Back to School Act, passed the legislature yesterday and brought an end to the ongoing teachers’ strike, which kept children home for most of the month. While disagreements over pay, working conditions and education funding remain, many students say they are simply relieved to be back in the classroom.
Harvard Media News spoke with local students who spent most of the past month learning from home. Benjamin, a Grade 3 student in Fort McMurray, says the long break was frustrating and confusing.
“I am super excited. I am excited to play with all my friends again,” he said. “I really want to learn math, and I think it is going to be super fun.”
Benjamin says he missed his teachers and his classmates and found it difficult to learn at home, even with help from his parents. When asked about the clash between the union and provincial negotiators, he said the situation has been hard to understand. “I feel like they’re mad at us.”
Older students share similar concerns. Elaina, a Grade 6 student, says it felt like adults in the dispute forgot about the children caught in the middle.
“We couldn’t go to school, but we didn’t do anything wrong,” said Elaina. “They should have worked things out without having us miss school; it’s been really difficult.”
She says she supports better resources for teachers but feels that students paid the price during labour conflicts. She hopes in the future both sides will find a way to resolve their differences without keeping kids at home again.
The Alberta government has passed legislation that imposes a contract on teachers and ends the strike. The ATA has vowed to fight the law through legal channels, arguing the government undermined bargaining rights. The union has also raised concerns about rising class complexity and a lack of supports in schools, something Premier Danielle Smith says her government plans to address.
Some Fort McMurray high school students are planning walkouts tomorrow in support of their teachers. Others say they simply want stability as the school year moves forward.
For students like Benjamin and Elaina, the focus is returning to routine, reconnecting with peers and getting back to normal learning in the classroom.
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