Title: Alberta Premier Proposes Education Commission Amid Teachers' Strike

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced plans to establish a commission on education following the ongoing provincewide teachers' strike. This announcement came as thousands of striking teachers and their supporters rallied outside the event where she was speaking on Thursday. The strike began on October 6, involving 51,000 teachers who are represented by their union in contract negotiations.

Smith emphasized the need for a negotiated settlement with the teachers' union. She stated that the province requires "new models" to address issues such as classroom complexity. "We think that this issue around complexity is the one that we hear about from teachers, that the specialized learning needs a little bit more 'hands on'," she said. "I'd love to ... put a commission together with teachers to figure out how we do that."

The primary issues in the contract dispute include wages, support for teachers, and classroom sizes. Smith noted that her United Conservative Party government has made efforts to tackle these challenges. However, teachers recently rejected a government proposal that included a 12 percent pay increase over four years and a commitment to hire 3,000 additional teachers.

"We're building more schools, we've offered a comprehensive pay package, we are prepared to hire more teachers and hire education assistants," Smith added.

During her speech to business leaders and dignitaries, the sounds of horns and chants from the striking teachers were audible. Police estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 people participated in the march, calling for increased investment in education.

Teacher Taylor Ostafichuk expressed the motivation behind the strike, stating, "We're staying loud, and I hope (Smith) can hear us." Another teacher, Ashley Pardy, voiced her concerns, saying, "I just wish that (Smith) would take our kids' futures more seriously and actually put the money where it needs to be."

Sarah Worth, a teacher, shared her worries about the future of public education in Alberta, saying, "If something doesn't change soon, this is going to crumble. We need more support and we need it to be a sustainable place where teachers want to teach."

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, responded to Smith's proposal, stating that the union is not seeking more commissions or committees. "(Teachers) are looking for actions that will directly improve their classrooms," he said.

The idea of forming a commission is reminiscent of a similar initiative established after the last teachers' strike in 2002, when then-premier Ralph Klein agreed to create a group to assess the education system and provide recommendations.

Finance Minister Nate Horner indicated that the government's spending cap for a new contract is $2.6 billion over four years. He noted that the teachers' latest proposal would require nearly $2 billion more in funding.

Both the union and the government have not provided updates on when negotiations might resume. This strike marks the largest walkout in Alberta's provincial history, affecting approximately 740,000 students across 2,500 schools for eight school days. Smith reiterated that if the strike threatens to cause irreparable harm, her government may consider mandating teachers to return to work when the legislature session begins in the last week of October.