EDMONTON – Haley Roberts loves working with children.

After coaching and mentoring kids as a swim instructor, the 22-year-old is pursuing a degree in elementary education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

“It’s just quite fulfilling,” Roberts said Tuesday. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher.”

But her dream has been interrupted, as 51,000 teachers take part in job action following a prolonged fight between their union and the provincial government.

The provincewide strike, into its second week, has kept some 740,000 students out of classrooms.

Finance Minister Nate Horner said Wednesday a new proposal from the Alberta Teachers’ Association was unreasonable and would require almost $2 billion more in spending than the government had set aside for a deal.

The government

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