Premier Danielle Smith speaks to media on Oct. 17.--CP PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
All classes resume today at all Medicine Hat Public School Division, Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education and Prairie Rose Public Schools after Premier Danielle Smith’s government passed legislation ordering 51,000 teachers back to work.
On Tuesday the MHPSD sent a letter to parents and guardians written by Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides informing class will resume today.
“The past few weeks have been very challenging for Alberta parents and students,” said Demetrios, who shared thoughts on the three-week strike.
“I understand the concerns and frustrations parents are feeling about upended routines and missed classroom time. I want to assure you my department is working closely with our school boards to put plans in place to support student success throughout the rest of the year.”
All public schools and bus transportation will resume for regular operation today.
Superintendent of MHCBE, Dwayne Zarichny, also wrote a letter to parents Tuesday highlighting the resumption of school operations.
All K-12 classes will resume today and school bus transportation is scheduled to run regularly, as well as Out of School Care hours.
Zarichny says Catholic schools will be assessing sport, academy, OSC and activity fees, which may result in a credit once processing is finished.
Mental health and wellness support will also be available to students and staff as they transition back to class
“Our schools are working diligently to welcome staff back, manage logistics, respond to questions and come together in support of students as we quickly return to regular school operations,” said Zarichny.
Similarly, PRPS also sent a message to families as all classes and bus schedules resume today.
“This past month has not been easy for our staff, students or families,” reads the letter by Patty Rooks, board chair, and Reagan Weeks, superintendent. “We want to sincerely thank everyone for their patience, cooperation and support during this time.”
To help recover lost instructional time PRPS board trustees approved adjustments to this year’s calendar, cutting two upcoming professional development days, Nov. 7 and Nov. 10, for regular in-class learning days.
PRPS will also be looking at fee adjustments and will provide more information when it becomes available.
The head of Alberta’s teachers union says they will abide by a back-to-work order and will not engage in illegal actions such as work-to-rule.
Jason Schilling says work-to-rule would lead to punishing fines, but he is urging his colleagues to rethink going the extra mile when it comes to their own time at school.
“They need to evaluate, and re-evaluate, how they’re spending their voluntary time at school,” Schilling told a news conference Tuesday. “For instance, I used to coach cross-country (running) and direct the drama play. Maybe I’m not going to direct the drama play next year.
“You take my rights away? Then I’m going to re-evaluate the voluntary nature of my job.”
His comments came after Smith’s government introduced and passed through the house a bill ordering the 51,000 teachers to be back on the job Wednesday, also invoking the notwithstanding clause, which strips teachers of their right to labour action.
The move ends a three-week strike that left more than 740,000 students out of class in the largest walkout in Alberta history.
The notwithstanding clause shields the legislation from any court challenge on violating teachers’ constitutional rights to association.
The bill includes steep fines for non-compliance: up to $500 a day for individuals and up to $500,000 a day for the union.
Schilling says while the teachers association is still contemplating a court challenge, he declined to say what that might look like. “We’ll have to leave it up to the experts who we work with in terms of our lawyers about how we move forward with that,” he said.
The core dispute with teachers centred around demands for tangible fixes to address overcrowded classrooms and faltering supports for students with special needs.
Smith’s government has committed to hiring 3,000 more teachers and address class sizes and complexities with a panel.
Schilling said they expect to be full partners in that panel.
“We are tired simply of being invited to be participants in government committees and action groups,” he said. “We want to be partners rather than props.”
Schilling reiterated that using the notwithstanding clause to end a labour dispute is a gross abuse of power.
“This is an assault on the rights of every Albertan,” he said. “If the government can use this clause to use teachers’ rights today, what will stop them from using it against someone else tomorrow?”
Smith has said the sheer size of the strike and the need to have labour peace at provincial and local levels over the next four years made it necessary to invoke the clause.
That decision continued to ripple Tuesday across the labour front and to Toronto and Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
A coalition of Alberta unions representing 350,000 workers, known as the Common Front, has promised an “unprecedented response” to the notwithstanding clause being used, with an announcement promised Wednesday.
The Alberta Federation of Labour, part of the Common Front, said Monday Bill 2 is a “war on workers”
“Make no mistake, the UCP has just launched a war against workers. It’s not a war we wanted, but it’s one we must win,” said president Gil McGowan. “In the middle of an historic affordability crisis, we can’t let them get away with neutering unions and undermining worker bargaining power.”
At the Alberta legislature, politicians resumed the fall sitting to pass the back-to-work bill by putting one-hour limits on debate at each stage.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told reporters the bill is “the most cowardly act I have ever seen from any government.
“Every single Albertan deserves to be angry today. We didn’t solve any problems. But we also showed that this government is willing to trample on anybody’s human rights.”
Nicolaides says he was disappointed the strike came to this conclusion, but said the priority is the well-being of students and preventing the negative consequences of the strike, including academic disruption.
He said his ministry has provided school boards with direction to ensure they can re-open successfully. “We’ve indicated that we’re available to provide any additional support that they may need,” he said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
