Vehicle car horns echoed in downtown Edmonton Thursday morning, as some motorists rooted for thousands of educators rallying in the area on Day 11 of the provincewide teachers’ strike.
Edmonton police estimate 8,000 to 10,000 people donning red, and many carrying signs, assembled outside Rogers Place in support of public education, while, inside, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith delivered a state-of-the-province address to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.
“Teachers are mad,” said Amber Nicholson, an educator and president of Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local 54, the part of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) that represents Edmonton Catholic school teachers.
The historic strike, marking the first time all of Alberta’s 51,000 public, Catholic and francophone school teachers walked off the job, started last week after negotiations between the province and teachers’ union broke down more than a month ago.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nate Horner said the Alberta government will consider back-to-work legislation if the strike lasts until Oct. 27, the first Monday of the legislature’s fall session. The session begins Oct. 23, when the government will deliver its throne speech.
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“I don’t know how many of my colleagues would go back,” said Lee Hrycun, a teacher at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, who attended Thursday’s rally.
“We’re at a breaking point. We’re overworked, there are too many kids. … If they just force us back, I don’t know; I’m scared to see what would happen if they do that.”
Smith was asked about potential back-to-work legislation during her event Thursday morning. She echoed Horner, saying such legislation could come during the week of Oct. 27 if a deal isn’t reached.
She advocated, however, for sticking with negotiations, acknowledging that it’s better to reach an agreement.
“You don’t want people feeling like they’ve been forced back into an environment, and don’t feel like they’ve got a fair settlement,” Smith said. “We’ve got a little bit more work to do before we have that consideration.”
The measure, she said, will be whether the strike is causing irreparable harm. She noted previous administrations cancelled diploma exams when students missed two weeks of class, and said that could be in the realm of irreparable harm for students trying to go to university.
Rally-goers who spoke with CBC News pointed to class sizes and student complexities as main sticking points, echoing the issues others — on both sides of the negotiating table — have said are causing friction.
Mika Boldsteen, a Grade 11 student, was downtown to support her parents, who are both teachers. She hopes the strike leads to more teachers being hired and fewer students per classroom.
Her social studies class, for example, is large but also has students from two different levels, she said.
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“The teacher’s teaching both at the same time,” Boldsteen said.
Ashley Kumpla, a special education teacher, has nine students in her classroom, including some with autism. But she has noticed classroom supports she once was able to access are no longer available.
“It does take a toll,” Kumpla said.
“You’re trying to put all these hats on and teach, and you don’t have much time as well, so it’s tricky.”
