Alberta This Week (Your Voice For Choice)
October 4 - October 10, 2025
This is YOUR resource - Share any links here on social media to educate others! - “Your Voice For Choice.” Welcome to your Non-Partisan Information Source of Alberta News - Mainly, we collect the news from around the province, Canada, and the world that affects Alberta!
(If you have a picture you would like to share for our newsletter, please send it to abresistance2027@gmail.com with your name. It helps differentiate it from the other newsletters.
Sent in by Ashley - Autumn Rainbow
WE have heard there is some confusion about our purpose. We are here to help Albertans recall their MLAs if they are not acting in your best interests. Here is a slide show that outlines how recalls work. ABResistance.ca Recalls As part of our process, we started sharing information through our newsletters and research articles, as well as building community. Those are all ways to create the momentum to start the Recall Process in Constituencies.
Upcoming Events: See our short three-page ABR Resistor for Updates about upcoming events.
Links for Health Information:
Measles Tracker - We now have the highest number of Measles Cases in the world, and to think it was almost eradicated 50 years ago. https://www.alberta.ca/measles We are up to 1927 cases (up 10 from last week) so far in Alberta. This is the highest per capita measles count in all of North America (possibly the world). Unfortunately, we have more measles cases.
Pre-book Your COVID-19 and Flu shots here:
The second phase for COVID-19 vaccines is starting - 2025, Alberta residents can pre-order the 2025-26 COVID-19 shot by registering online at Book an immunization appointment
Shopper’s Drug Mart is administering COVID vaccines for an Alberta government administrative fee of $100 Get your COVID-19 vaccine at a Pharmacy near you | Shoppers Drug Mart™
Here is a map you can check for availability.
Pharmacy inventory map | Alberta Blue Cross®
Info for flu and RSV vaccines at pharmacies.
Respiratory Dashboard - Here is a link to Alberta’s respiratory virus dashboard - including RSV, Flu, and COVID-19 cases.
Respiratory virus dashboard | alberta.ca
COVID-19, RSV, and Flu wastewater testing
COVID TRACKER City of Calgary - COVID-19 is rising.
https://covid-tracker.chi-csm.ca/
City of Edmonton
Canada COVID Tracker: Wastewater monitoring dashboard – Respiratory virus activity
We will repost information on Athana’s case when there is an update.
UCP Travels
Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen will promote Alberta’s conservation initiatives while in Abu Dhabi for the World Conservation Congress 2025. He will be gone from October 8 - 14. Held once every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers.
https://iucncongress2025.org/
Shane Getson, Parliamentary Secretary for Economic, Corridor Development is on his way to Portland, Oregon, and will be gone for 4 days from October 13 - 17. While there, he is attending two events.
Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER)
PNWER Build Northwest Economic Forum and Pacific Northwest Rail Summit
This is 62 trips to the US for the UCP - 273 days they have been out of Alberta. I mistakenly counted days they took as personal days in my previous count.
Dani has been gone for 35 days. They sit for 13 out of 52 weeks in the legislature. 13 weeks x 4 days (because they have Fridays off) = 52 days they are working for you at the legislature! They are not governing for Albertans when you look at what they are cutting for citizens, and then have trips on our dime!
The legislature has been out since May 16, 2025. The last day of sitting was May 14, 2025, with a day to swear in new Ministers and to sign bills. It will be sitting again on October 27, 2025 - That’s 17 days/10 working days from October 10, 2025
The UCP Caucus is down 2 members and is now at 46. There are 38 NDP MLAs and 2 Independents.
Ex-UCP MLAs to join, rebrand Alberta Party instead of rebooting Progressive Conservatives from scratch | CBC News
Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair have had a meeting with Alberta Party members - It has a new name - The Alberta Conservative Party. They are just waiting for Elections Alberta to approve it! Smith has challenged the claim that they cannot use the word ‘Conservative Party’ in their name. We are awaiting a decision from Elections Alberta.
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Four Mandate letters released re: jobs etc. Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration, Forestry and Parks, Tourism and Sport, and Arts, Culture and Status of Women
A really good analysis of these
Five Mandate letters: Education and Childcare, Advanced Education, Transportation and Economic Corridors, Infrastructure, and Municipal Affairs
The rest of the Mandate Letters: Intergovernmental and International Relations, Public Safety and Emergency Services, Justice, and Children and Family Services
Premier Danielle Smith has issued mandate letters that direct ministers to take action to unleash the potential of key industries and build prosperity for all Albertans.
Getting the job done for Albertans: Unleashing industries: Environment and Protected Areas, Energy and Minerals, Agriculture and Irrigation, and Indigenous Relations
Health Care Mandate Letters: Primary and Preventative Health Services, Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Mental Health and Addiction, and Assisted Living and Social Services
There are no letters for - Treasury Board, Technology and Innovation, Affordability and Utilities, Agriculture and Irrigation, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, and the Associate Ministries of Multiculturalism.
Videos
An explanation on how averages don’t paint an accurate picture of classroom numbers and complexity - means is a better measure: Facebook with Peter McKay From the ATA
Throwbacks
Strategic voting: Is it worth it? SOMETHING TO THINK about during the municipal elections. Does Strategic Voting Actually Work? | The Tyee
AIMCo: Shadowy holding company - mitigate losses in oil and gas… Bitcoin mining… Dale Nally at the Bitcoin summit in Dallas, Texas… connect the dots.
Education: Some history about why we are here and how we got here.
https://www.theprogressreport.ca/private-school-lobbyists-meddle-in-strike
Opinion: Why Alberta should fund private school construction | Edmonton Journal
If you want to get involved - Resistors, here you go:
This is one way you can help us spread the message as we prepare for recalls. We can’t do it without you. We Are The Resistance!
A call to action for Creative and Engaged AB Resistance Volunteers.
Our marketing strategy volunteer, Ashley, has created a detailed marketing volunteer information presentation for Alberta Resistance (ABR), a group of engaged Albertans aiming to drive positive change in the province. The presentation outlines the organization’s mission, which includes promoting decency in politics, fostering caring communities, and encouraging optimism. There’s an emphasis on the importance of nonpartisan communication and the strategic use of social media to counter misinformation and engage voters at various levels. AB Resistance plans to leverage the recall legislation to empower Albertans and create a more inclusive and transparent political environment. ABR needs volunteers, like you, to contribute content across different media formats and highlight the phased approach to building momentum for recall campaigns. The ultimate goal is to transform uninformed citizens into active participants in democracy, celebrating the efforts of committed volunteers who are building a better Alberta.
Reach out via message here or with AB Resistance to see the whole presentation and to get involved!
ABR Marketing Strategy Video Highlights.
Here are intake forms if you have content you wish to provide us today!
A Message from ABR (Alberta Resistance)
Recalls: We are moving closer to a Recall for Change in Calgary Bow and Calgary North West. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in standing up a Recall in your riding. Contact us at: abresistance2027@gmail.com. We are still planning to hold more town halls.
Which area that the Alberta government is working on concerns you the most?
Health Care ( hospitals- being able to transfer hospitals to other organizations to run, siloing health care, health care staff, vaccine accessibility, paying private facilities to do public surgeries, other.)
Education (building charter and providing funding to support building, funding charter and private schools while public schools are struggling, firing Support staff during COVID lockdowns and not hiring them all back, not funding complex classrooms, the funding formula, not negotiating with teachers)
Oil and Gas (not capping abandoned wells, Mature Asset Strategy, Pipelines
Environment - Coal mining in the Rockies, Water conservation.
AISH/ADAP - Clawing back $200 from the federal governments Canadian Disability Benefit for people on AISH and ADAP. Charging those in subsidized housing more - $200/month or that they are moving all AISH recipients to ADAP lowering their monthly payment and being able to claw back more money if they are working. Currently AISH recipients can earn over $1000 without money being deducted from their AISH payment. If they go on ADAP they can only make $350 more. Here is a link to the information https://inclusionalberta.org/understanding-proposed-changes-to-aish-the-new-adap-and-how-to-respond-to-the-adap-survey/
Build Community: Albertans need to work together to educate and build community. Finding your people is important. We are starting to host Zoom meetings and setting up to connect people in communities across Alberta.
Town halls will be starting up; watch for one in your area. The Separatists and the Far right, like TBA (Take Back Alberta), are well-organized and have lots of money. We need to counter that with information and community. Be a part of the change. See our ABR Resistor Update
There are several opportunities to attend rallies and protests this week.
Join our Facebook page or a group in your area that shares events, information, and ideas on how to spread the word.
Petitions are out, Canvassers are out. They are looking for your signatures. Check out our Facebook page for locations and times. If you are going to be out in a public place collecting signatures, let us know so we can post it. If you can, join in this activity and promote Forever Canadian.
https://www.forever-canadian.ca/
Go to the page “Where to sign the petition” to find the information. Canadian info has been posted on this page. Go here for updates. We have 16 - 18 days to get the rest of the signatures we need.
Knowledge:
Talk to your friends and share what you know. Watching the Socials, we see more outrage and anger about what is happening to Health Care, Education, Social Services, and the Environment in this province. These areas affect everyone! It’s time to speak up.
Keeping this one here: The Province has launched another - you guessed it - PANEL Alberta Next Panel. They have scheduled a series of town halls, and you can sign up for them 2 weeks before the event. There is also a survey attached that has you watch a video and then answer 2 - 4 questions. None of the answers allow for any negative feedback, but if you answer the questions, there is an opportunity for you to put in your opinions. (They are almost done with their tour) - Last Live one is Calgary, September 29th, and there are two online ones available to sign up for.
Alberta Next Update: Thank You for Taking Action
Because of the letters and complaints sent by Albertans across the province, Elections Alberta has officially opened a file — No. 2025-0213 — to review the potential partisan use of public resources connected to the Alberta Next Panel.
That happened because every day, people spoke up — you.
You helped document concerns, send letters, and make sure these issues were seen and recorded.
This may not seem huge yet, but it’s a real step toward accountability and transparency.
Your efforts built a public record that can’t be ignored — and that matters for every future decision like this.
Change starts with informed citizens who won’t stay silent.
One piece at a time, Alberta is standing up for fairness.
#Accountability #AlbertaNext #PublicTransparency #CivicAction
(They only win if we give up!)
Wins this week -
We are working with other groups to show up at peaceful demonstrations around the province. For details, see our ABR Resistor Update.
AB Resistance is a small group of volunteers that pays for expenses solely through donations. Hosting town halls, printing, paying for websites, and social media software all cost money. If you would like to donate to our cause, please etransfer to abrdonate@gmail.com. We are a third-party advertiser, which means we report to Alberta Elections. When you donate, please include your name, address, and postal code in the message. The question is “What province do we live in? = Alberta, even if you don’t live here. It makes it easier for our CFO to accept your money. Thanks to everyone who has already donated. You can now sign up for our Substack. We will be publishing extra articles that uncover what the government is doing. By joining, you help us to fund townhalls, print materials, and get the word out to the public.
ABResistance has a “Speaker Series” - check it out on our webpage SPEAKER SERIES - AB Resistance. We will be back to this soon. We are just setting up some times to meet with Community Change Makers. We are also posting the videos on Substack, and you can access them here on YouTube: @abresistance.ca (some nice ab work out videos may show up as well). Keep an eye out on socials or on our event calendar on our website for our upcoming “Speaker.”
We have a merch store! Check out our t-shirts and hoodies.
AB Resistance Merch @ odd-i-tees
At the end of the Newsletter are some links to other news organizations. There are also links to Municipal Websites and information for you to check out. (This week we have a transcript from CBC re: an interview with Alberta teachers and what the Strike is all about. We have included a link to the audio version as well.)
It’s been a week! Let’s get started!
Saturday, 4
AI Hub deal almost reached:
Meta and Pembina have almost reached a deal to build an AI data hub in Alberta.
Meta and Pembina Partner to Build Alberta AI Data Hub
Education: Parents of children with disabilities scramble for supports ahead of the Teachers’ strike
Forestry and Parks: Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen will promote Alberta’s conservation initiatives while in Abu Dhabi for the World Conservation Congress 2025.
Promoting Alberta conservation on the world stage
Indigenous settlement: Sturgeon Lake settlement is dated to 11,000 years old. It was a permanent settlement.
11,000-year-old Indigenous village uncovered near Sturgeon Lake - College of Arts and Science
Oil and Gas: Rstar renamed mature asset strategy
Orphan Well Costs Shifted to Alberta Taxpayers
Recovery Communities: Smith saw a picture of a boy with his parents at a concert and wrote a backstory for the picture. The trouble is, it wasn’t true.
Trucking: Rules have changed with the realization that the Trucking Industry needs rules
June 3, 2024
Changes to Class 1 Licensing in Alberta
Oct 4, 2025
Alberta shuts down five unsafe truck driver training schools, 13 carriers
Wildfires: What insurance data reveals about climate change
What insurance data reveals about how bad wildfires are getting | CBC News
Sunday, 5 World Teacher’s Day
Calgary population growth: Calgary is racing to 2 million. Will they be ready?
Calgary is racing to 2 million people. Will the next council prepare for it? | CBC News
Education: Thousands in Calgary, Edmonton rallies as teachers gather on World Teacher Day
Monday, 6
Affordability: This winter, Albertans are more likely to choose groceries over home heating.
Albertans most likely to face choice between groceries and heating their homes: report
Automobiles
Toyota is recalling over 32,700 vehicles over rearview camera issues.
Toyota recalling over 32,700 vehicles in Canada over rearview camera defect | CBC News
Border Patrol Alberta
$29 million with just 4 illegal immigration or drug trafficking arrests made.
Education: Historic Alberta teachers’ strike begins - 51,000 educators walk off the job.
Private School funding
ATA defends province-wide strike.
Federal Relations: Premier Danielle Smith is in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, advancing partnerships to bolster industries in Alberta and across Canada. (she missed the education rallies this weekend)
Building a strong Canadian economy from west to east
Politics! Carney meets Trump. Meeting with Smith before he travels
Politics! Carney meets Trump again, Smith pitches a pipeline | CBC Radio
Homelessness: Winter is coming, and Medicine Hat is without a daytime shelter . A reminder that the Mustard Seed is owned by the Nixon family and Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services, gets a pension from them. His dad, Pat Nixon, started the organization.
Alberta city that once claimed to end homelessness faces winter without daytime shelter | CBC News
Industry: Lithium company marks new milestone in Alberta
Lithium company marks new milestone with its central Alberta pilot project | CBC News
Measles: Alberta as the epicenter of measles
How Alberta Became the Epicentre of Canada’s Measles Outbreak | The Walrus
Pipeline: Danielle needs support to build a pipeline
Danielle Smith: You can’t build Canada without a pipeline | Financial Post
Safe consumption sites: Calgary outreach organizations are not receiving supplies for safe consumption sites.
Calgary outreach organizations worried as access to free harm reduction supplies dries up | CBC News
Scam Info: How fraudsters are using crypto atm’s to scam seniors.
How fraudsters use crypto ATMs to launder millions from Canadian scam victims | CBC News
Tuesday, 7
Alberta Next Panel: Exists to put pressure on Ottawa.
Breakenridge: Alberta Next exists to criticize Ottawa.
Carbon tax: Smith says she’s open to adjusting the Alberta carbon tax.
Smith says she’s open to adjusting Alberta’s industrial carbon price | CBC News
Citizen initiative: Alberta teacher prompts petition to stop funding private schools.
Alberta teacher prompts petition on province’s private school funding | CBC News
Contracts: An important contract was settled to Albertans’ relief - McDavid settles for $12.5 million while public teachers are striking for support for complex classrooms.
Education: Alberta kids weigh in on provincial Teachers’ strike Alberta kids: Will you do school work while your teachers strike? | story
Farmers Market: Strathcona farmers market adding a corner store during the week
News Conference: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith provides an update on her government’s efforts to create what her office is calling a “federal partnership” with Alberta. This follows the premier’s meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith holds a news conference in Ottawa – October 7, 2025 | Kamloops.me
Postal Service: Alberta activates their mail delivery - read this for details if you need to get mail to the Government.
The Voice: October 7th, 2025 - Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, 8
Alberta Food Inspection: Alberta food inspections leave much to be desired.
Education: Alberta teachers look for ways to save money to make it through the strike
KRIS SIMS: Alberta teachers should be ready for a long strike | Calgary Sun
Opinion: Crisis capitalism comes for Alberta’s classrooms | Edmonton Journal
Health Care: Court ruling cancels suspension of Chiropracter accused of sexual assault.
Court ruling cancels suspension of Alberta chiropractor accused of sexual assault | CBC News
Health Mandate Letters: Premier Danielle Smith has issued a new set of mandate letters focused on improving health care delivery for all Albertans no matter where they live.
Getting the job done for Albertans: A new era of care
Nuclear power: Northern Alberta county’s election will have Nuclear power project on plebiscite
N.W.T. gov’t, water advocate raises concerns about Peace River Nuclear Project.
Oil and gas: Cenovus Energy raises takeover offer for MEG.
Cenovus raises takeover offer for MEG Energy and ponies up more stock | CBC News
Carney raised Keystone XL pipeline revival in the Trump White House meeting
Carney raised Keystone XL pipeline revival in meeting with Trump | CBC News
Alberta Premier’s plan threatens Canada’s unity
Alberta premier’s plan threatens ‘fragile’ consensus over development of B.C. coast: Eby | CBC News
Orders Approved – October 8, 2025: Orders in Council
Police/Sheriffs: The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has completed its investigations into three separate incidents and released the acting executive director’s full reports on them.
ASIRT concludes investigations on three files
Weather: The weekend is going to get cold in Southern Alberta
Thursday, 9
Agriculture: Alberta continues to attract large-scale investment from food and ag processors, creating new jobs, driving exports, and boosting the economy.
Mustard millers relish investment tax credit
Border Security: U.S. bill calls for a more integrated Canada-US border.
U.S. bill calls for more integration between Canadian, American border agents | CBC News
Child and Family Services: A historic moment: Mikisew Cree Nation opens Child and Family Services Agency.
Conflict: Palestinians and Israelis celebrate the ceasefire agreement.
RECAP | Israel approves 1st phase of peace deal with Hamas | CBC
Education: Alberta education minister says striking teachers will have to make some trade-offs.
More young Canadians are tapping into AI for assistance at school
Health Care/ Acute Care: Alberta’s government is upgrading medical device reprocessing departments across the province to strengthen surgical care.
Modern tools, better surgical care
Jobs, Economy: Plastics manufacturing company Polykar is investing $20 million to expand its operations in Edmonton.
Plastics manufacturer doubles production in Alberta
Oil and Gas: Back from the dead? Keystone XL Pipeline up for reconsideration.
Back from the dead? Keystone XL’s possible revival has proponents cautiously hopeful | CBC News
Post Secondary Education: Alberta’s expert panel on post-secondary institution funding has delivered a final report with 11 recommendations to modernize and strengthen the post-secondary system.
Post-secondary panel delivers final report
RCMP: How to protect your property now that cold weather is here, Thanksgiving Safety Campaign plans in Alberta.
https://rcmp.ca/en/alberta/news
Friday, 10
AESO: Alberta Restructured Electricity Market: What it means to you.
Education: Alberta’s government is providing new supports to help parents and students manage financial and learning challenges during these uncertain times.
Alberta teachers’ strike: Bargaining between ATA and province to resume Tuesday
Teachers call on province to invest in education at Jasper rally - News
Employment: Alberta had the biggest employment gain in Canada last month.
Alberta recorded the largest employment gain in Canada last month: StatCan
Justice: Separatist Lawyer, Jeffery Rath reprimanded in court on Friday.
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/lawyer-jeffrey-rath-reprimanded-alberta-separatist
Mental Health and Addictions: Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson issued the following statement on World Mental Health Day:
World Mental Health Day: Minister Wilson
Oil and Gas: Alberta’s Smith says Ottawa is dodging pipeline
UCP Travels: Parliamentary Secretary Shane Getson will promote stronger trade corridors across the Pacific Northwest at a regional economic forum and rail summit.
Laying down tracks for connectivity with the U.S.
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Alberta News - Keeping Albertans Informed
Alberta Views puts out a weekly synopsis of happenings in Alberta: This week’s version. (The Week in Alberta archives)
Alberta Views October 6-10, 2025 Should Alberta stop allocating public funds to independent schools?
The Tyee puts out a weekly round-up of happenings in Alberta - Check it out.
A round-up of this week’s Tyee Alberta stories. They are a non-profit; if you can afford to donate to this amazing news source,
Alberta Municipalities News
News from the Municipalities - has an update on bills being passed.
Alberta Conservative News
Alberta Government Links
Here is a link to the assembly website, with a calendar of upcoming events at the Legislature and a list of all the bills this government has passed, as well as bills in progress. Please note that all the UCP members have voted to support these bills.
Legislative Assembly of Alberta Assembly Dashboard - Has links to each day’s events at the Legislature. The legislative session is from May 15 until October 27, 2025.
The Government is making its news announcements user-friendly. Here is the non-government branded version.
Here is the government version.
Hansard - The Alberta Government Hansard Transcription
Here is the sunshine list document for Alberta.
Legislative Assembly Office Compensation Disclosure
If you have events coming up in your area or have a group you would like to promote, email us at abresistance2027@gmail.com
Civic Elections –
Municipal and School Board Elections - October
Election News - If you are wondering who is running, and what party they represent, as we move into a new political space in Municipal Politics
Calgary - Sprawl - Calgary Candidate Tracker for Municipal Elections
Edmonton - Troy Pavlek - Who’s running in Edmonton’s Municipal Election?
List of all candidates running in the Edmonton Municipal and School Board elections. Running as a Candidate in the 2025 Edmonton Election
Here is the link for Lethbridge’s candidates - https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/elxtn25/
Independent candidates in the Edmonton Civic elections
https://troypavlek.ca/posts/entering-the-2025-election-year-here-are-the-candidates-to-watch Interesting Read.
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Highlight on Education
Excerpt from the Current with Matt Galoway (MG) on the Teachers’ Strike in Alberta. CBC The Current with Scott Galloway, October 8th. Alberta Teachers’ Strike The Teacher topic is at the beginning of the show if you would like to listen instead.
The Transcript
MG: You wrote a Facebook post to, as you say, help people better understand what’s happening inside our classrooms every day. So take me inside your classroom. You work in a rural school. What grades do you teach?
MORGAN SPOONER: This year, I’m teaching a grade two class in a rural school in central Alberta, where I started the year with 27 students in my class.
MG: Okay. What is it like in that classroom on a regular day? Just paint a picture of what it’s like.
MORGAN SPOONER: I think overall, so my class does not have any EA support. So what that looks like is an overcrowded space. It looks like students asking for help that aren’t receiving it because there just simply isn’t time to reach every student throughout the day.
MG: Is that the biggest challenge that you face, just being stretched in 27 different directions at once?
MORGAN SPOONER: I think that’s one of the biggest challenges that most teachers are facing, is an overcrowded classroom. I think they’re facing, you know, loss of connection from their students. I think teachers are facing aggression. And I think that without a class cap put in, that teachers won’t be able to further enrich learning in the classroom.
MG: How big of an issue is that? I mean, we’ve talked about this before in the program, that issue of aggression in the classroom. How big of an issue is that for you?
MORGAN SPOONER: I think in my personal classroom, it’s not something that’s as present this year as it has been in past. I do see my colleagues, though, who struggle with students who are aggressive towards them or their peers.
MG: We heard the premier, Danielle Smith, talk about classroom complexity. You wrote in that Facebook post that the needs of your students grow more complex by the year. What does that look like? I mean, just describe that complexity as you see it.
MORGAN SPOONER: So I think that part of that complexity is looking at Learning deficits and students who are excelling. So within a classroom, you can have five different grade levels of students. And those just the basic learning complexities are a lot to prep materials for, to teach materials to meet students where they’re at, which is really what teachers are trying to do, is meet them where they’re at, build those foundational skills and scaffold that up to, up to grade level or extend it beyond grade level. And I just think that’s not possible when you’re one person in a room of 27, 30, 40 students.
MG: What is that like for you as a teacher? I mean, you go into this profession with the goal, as you say, of trying to meet the students where they’re at. If you can’t do that, just personally, what is that like for you?
MORGAN SPOONER: I think it definitely, so for sure, teachers don’t go into teaching expecting to become rich. We all go in there with the heart and intention of, you know, enriching, supporting, challenging kids. And so when you’re not able to do that as a teacher, it’s quite defeating. And I think that, you know, you come home and you try to spend time to figure out how you can reach that student, how you can enrich that student or support that student. And oftentimes, it becomes very consuming and defeating.
MG: 90% of teachers voted against the provincial government’s second offer, which would have seen 3000 more teachers hired across the 2500 schools in the province. If you’re listening, you might think that the 3000 additional teachers could sound like a lot. Why was that turned down, do you think?
MORGAN SPOONER: Sure. So I guess what I’ll say is it’s similar to, I’ll give you an analogy of a brick wall. So teachers are stacking bricks to build this strong wall, one for reading, one for math, connection, etc., every year. But these bricks have been taken away. So we have fewer supports, we have larger class sizes, we have less time and less help, and the wall can’t stand strong forever. So I think this strike really is just about saying to the government, to the public that we need the right materials before this wall collapses. And some of those right materials are hiring more teachers and having support staff such as educational assistants. And when you look at those numbers, basically from my perspective, what you’re seeing is potentially 0.5 of a teacher up to maybe point seven of a teacher per school. And I think what that’s saying is that teaching and learning is a lottery. Who’s the lucky grade level that’s going to receive that teacher or EA? Who’s the lucky students that are going to get that? And I just don’t stand with thinking that teaching and learning is a lottery pick. Each student should be supported no matter their ability, background, age. I think all students need to be supported properly.
MG: Would there be a material difference? Your union is asking for at least 5000 more teachers to meet the provincial class size recommendations. Would 5000 more teachers make a material difference in terms of what you’re describing?
MORGAN SPOONER: I don’t think I feel comfortable putting a direct number on it. I don’t feel like that’s within my role to assume. I think just talking about what has been offered and not maybe making guesses at it would just offer better perspective to the public.
MG: What about pay? The province’s second offer would have seen a 12% pay increase over four years. Your union, the Alberta Teachers Association, the ATA, proposed a 34.5% pay increase over the same period, although they said that was the starting point for negotiations. The premier has said that the offer that the province is making would make you the best paid teachers in Western Canada. How much of this is about pay?
MORGAN SPOONER: For me personally, I don’t think a lot of this is about pay. I, I would much prefer to go to a work environment that is, you know, a little bit less chaotic, less dysregulated. I would prefer to see my students have an EA in the classroom. I would prefer them to have access to proper materials. So I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I don’t think a lot of teachers are necessarily looking for a huge pay increase. Would it be nice to be fairly compensated for our work? Yes. But if I had to choose, I would choose to have better supports within education.
MG: How big of an issue is burnout in your, not just in your school, but in your own thinking around teaching? We’ve talked about this. Again, this is an issue, teacher burnout across this country. For you, what does that mean?
MORGAN SPOONER: Yeah, for me, it means like you can’t ask somebody to continue to do more with less and less and less every year. I think especially in rural education, you see a lot of burnout just in the fact that we do teach a lot of split classes, which means different curriculums. You have a teacher teaching maybe right up to six different classes or curriculums per day. And so eventually, you just can’t keep up with the needs of that. And I think burnout is a very real thing for teachers.
MG: Many teachers like yourself are also parents. How are you thinking about all of this as it relates to, you have a couple of kids?
MORGAN SPOONER: Yeah, I have two kids.
MG: Yeah. How are you thinking about this when it comes to their experience in school?
MORGAN SPOONER: So I am very fortunate that I’m able to work alongside my children through their learning journey. And I just think that I have two very different children at home. As a parent, when looking at my children, I have one child who would need enrichment. And unfortunately, in a classroom of 30 kids, that’s not going to be possible with one teacher for him. So now, that’s something that we’re working on at home. And as a parent, it is my shared responsibility to work through education with my children. However, when I look at that and think, if he’s not able to get enrichment, I look at the other side of that and think, who’s not able to get intervention in his class? Who’s not able to get the support that they need? And for my other child, who maybe requires some wellness assistance, we have one wellness worker for 400 students in our classroom. And so, sorry, 400 students within our school. And so it’s just not possible for him to receive maybe some of those supports that he would need on a regular basis, which then when I’m looking at that, there’s other teachers who need to take their kids in for private, private assistance or other parents who need to take their kids for private assistance because the resources just aren’t there.
MG: I have to let you go, but I mean, let me just ask you very briefly. Labour disruptions are meant to be disruptive. I mean, it’s about putting pressure on the employer. This has been disruptive. The provincial government is offering something like $30 a day per child to families of children age 12 and younger, whose classes are cancelled, just to offset childcare costs. What would you say to parents who are trying to figure out how they’re going to balance work and childcare? They might not support the strike, but they’re caught up in this as well. What would you say to them?
MORGAN SPOONER: I would just say to parents that I know that this is a difficult time right now for everybody financially. There’s a huge financial burden that comes from this for all. And I would just tell them to hold in there and know that teachers are standing up and fighting for their children, putting in the good fight for all kids.
MG: Morgan, good to talk to you. Thank you very much.
MORGAN SPOONER: Thank you.
MG: Morgan Spooner is an elementary school teacher in central Alberta. We asked for an interview with the education minister for the province. He wasn’t available. The office of Alberta’s Minister of Treasury Board and Finance sent us a statement that reads in part, “In order to get a deal, the Alberta Teachers Association must show up to the bargaining table for formal negotiations like they’ve been asked to. A deal can’t get done with the ATA refusing to get back to the formal bargaining table.” The statement also added that the Alberta Teachers Association has never formally proposed adding 5000 new teachers, and until they do, the government is unable to consider that proposal. Darryl Hunter is a professor at the University of Alberta specializing in education policy. He’s in Edmonton. Darryl, good morning to you.
DARRYL HUNTER: Good morning.
MG: As a former teacher, do you understand why teachers in your province are frustrated when it comes to class sizes?
DARRYL HUNTER: Yes. Particularly as being a former high school teacher and middle years teacher, to have, you know, 40 or so students in the classrooms I taught would have been very onerous.
MG: Can you just paint a picture, as you understand it, of what’s going on in the province? The Alberta government’s own recommendations are that kindergarten through grade three classes have an average of 17 children, grade four through six, an average of 23 children, junior high, 25 students. High school classes have an average of 27 students. Now, the Alberta government actually stopped counting class sizes in 2019. But what do we know about where the trend is going?
DARRYL HUNTER: I think it’s fairly clear that the student teacher ratio is increasing here in Alberta. When you’re talking about the student teacher ratio, it’s always important to remember that you can have an identical ratio sitting on the table, and it will be viewed Differently by teachers than it will be by public administrators. So a student teacher ratio is generally considered as a measure of workload by teachers. The more students per teacher, the greater the workload. The identical ratio, viewed in a very different fashion by public administrators, it’s a measure of educational system efficiency. So they generally would see increased ratio as being more desirable because that indicates that the public’s tax dollars are being more efficiently spent.
MG: What do we know about what that means in the classroom? If you have a larger class size, what does that mean when it comes to students and their ability to learn?
DARRYL HUNTER: Complex answer to your question. I think we’ve got probably in the neighbourhood of 50 to 70 years of research into people teacher ratios and its impact on student performance. Generally speaking, and I think we all recognize this, that at the elementary level, getting those young students reading and writing is a complex business. And they try to keep ratios lower at, you know, kindergarten through to grade three, but they tend to go upward as you go up through the system to the high school level for a variety of reasons. But it’s mainly through for efficiency sake, I think, when you get to the high school level that the ratios increase.
MG: So when you hear someone like Morgan talking about teaching 27 kids in a class, and she feels that she’s pulled in 27 different directions, what does that mean for those students? What is, as you understand it, what’s the material impact on those students?
DARRYL HUNTER: The material impact on students, fundamentally, is less time for a teacher to interact with an individual student, because you have more students and a fixed amount of time. And if you’re trying to interact with that student, teach that student, develop their reading ability or their numeracy skills, you just have less time to devote to a greater number of students.
MG: Do we know how long that impact lasts?
DARRYL HUNTER: The impact of what, sorry?
MG: Well, the impact of just not having enough time with the teacher, that you have less face time, if I can put it that way, that might be in the moment if you’re in a grade three or grade four class. How long does the impact of that follow you?
DARRYL HUNTER: Well, if a student is not learning to read and write, that will delay their progress through the school system and can conceivably have very long impact beyond school itself.
MG: Do we have evidence about grades? I mean, part of this is about learning, but people like to measure things with grades as well. Do we have evidence that smaller class sizes will improve grades?
DARRYL HUNTER: We’ve got 50 years of research that shows that reducing class size, particularly at the elementary level, is desirable. And I think most people understand that intuitively. That’s why you’ve got elementary schools, smaller elementary schools and smaller pupil teacher ratios. You know, across Canada, these schools are located in the suburbs. When you get to the high school level, you get larger types of collegiate institutes and larger schools congregating more students. And they’re, generally speaking, I think, further away from home. So there’s a general understanding there already of the importance of school size, but also classroom size and the learning of students.
MG: I have to let you go, but you’ve talked about the financial considerations here. The province says it’s investing billions of dollars in building new schools to accommodate a growing population. The class size caps aren’t on the table. What sort of, if you were to increase the number of teachers there and reduce that ratio, what would that mean on the education budget, do you think?
DARRYL HUNTER: Well, here in Alberta, the government’s announced it’s going to be spending $11.1 billion in capital construction, building schools as immigration patterns continue, to have more schools meeting the needs of students who are coming into Alberta, as well as those students who are already here. But that’s on the capital side of the ledger. Really, the negotiations here are on what we’d call the operational side, I’m thinking as an accountant, with the operational side, which basically revolves around teacher salaries, which comprise, depending on what you include in that formula, 85 to 90% of the cost of operating a school.
MG: Darryl, we’ll leave it there. We’re out of time, but we will continue to watch this. As I said, there’s a lot of students and teachers who are out of the class right now and people trying to figure out what the path forward is. Thank you very much.
DARRYL HUNTER: Thank you.
MG: Darryl Hunter is an education professor at the University of Alberta. He was in Edmonton. The CBC news is coming up next, and then we’re going to speak with another business leader about how we as a country tackle this moment. Zita Cobb made a fortune in technology, then returned home to Newfoundland and Labrador. We’re going to talk about the power of place and reinvention with Zita Cobb coming up in six minutes here on The Current.