Alberta teacher strike POV: more than a pay raise
By Adrian Amon on October 23, 2025
Many teachers hope that the outcome of the teachers’ strike will bring renewed investment to public education.
As classrooms grow larger and resources shrink, Ernest Manning High School teacher Brandon Diprose says the effects are showing up in students’ basic skills.
The problem is made worse by chronic understaffing and lack of support.
“Kids are in junior high and high school and you’re seeing the problems,” Diprose said. “You’re seeing kids that are in grade 10, 11 and 12 and can’t read past a sixth grade level. When schools in Alberta just never saw it at a level that you do now.”
And with back-to-work legislation looming, he points to Air Canada’s strike when workers held out and won a deal overnight. He believes teachers might see a similar quick outcome.
Photo credit: Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga on Unsplash