The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging the Alberta government to give any savings from a potential teachers’ strike directly to parents to cover childcare costs.“Students and parents are the people who are hurt in a teachers’ strike and they’re the ones who need help,” said Kris Sims, Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “British Columbia compensated parents for their childcare costs during a teachers strike in 2014 and it helped thousands of families. When the government saves money due to a teachers’ strike, that money should go to the people who need it: parents and children.”The Alberta government had offered teachers a 12% pay hike over four years, along with commitments to hire 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 new classroom assistants. .If accepted, the average Alberta teacher would have the highest after-tax income in Western Canada by 2027. Teachers received a 2% pay increase in 2023 and 1.25% the year before.Alberta taxpayers are projected to spend $10.4 billion on K-12 education this year, up from $9.2 billion last year, a 13% increase. The province is also on track for an $84.3 billion debt by year’s end.“Premier Danielle Smith must take taxpayers into account when negotiating contracts and here’s the reality: people can’t afford higher taxes and piling up more debt is irresponsible,” Sims said. “If the government saves money because the teachers’ union shuts down schools, it needs to redirect those savings to families who are hurt by the walk out.”.Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
