Premier's presence at parade coincides with impasse in talks between province and Alberta Teachers' Association

Families in lawn chairs lined the streets to watch for the Cochrane Labour Day Parade on Monday, with Premier Danielle Smith as honorary parade marshal, while an ongoing contract dispute leaves a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the new school year.

The impasse in talks between teachers and the provincial government had some parents in the crowd — wrangling kids out of the roadway as blaring bagpipes declared the parade’s arrival — on the edge of their seats, wondering if their children’s school year will be interrupted.

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“My husband says, ‘We have the largest Labour Day Parade in Alberta — because it’s the only parade in Alberta,’ ” said Sydney Reed, a res

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