Alberta’s Bold Move: Teachers Head Back to Class

Calgary, get ready! After weeks of empty classrooms, Alberta has thrown down the gauntlet with Bill 2, the Back to School Act, invoking the seldom-used notwithstanding clause. This decisive legislative action on October 27, 2025, orders 51,000 striking teachers back to their posts, effectively ending the province-wide dispute that began October 6.

For Calgary's bustling families, this means a swift return to routine. Students across the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District are expected back in classes as early as Wednesday, October 29, 2025. This move aims to restore normalcy for over 740,000 students and parents whose lives have been disrupted, with cancelled school events, sports practices, and parent-teacher conferences becoming the norm during the strike.

However, the return isn't without its tensions. While many parents are relieved, some share teachers' disappointment that core issues like class sizes remain unaddressed. Teachers, who held rallies in Calgary during the strike, expressed frustration at being compelled back to work under a contract they overwhelmingly rejected, which included a 12 percent salary increase over four years and plans for 3,000 new hires. Critics, including the Official Opposition Leader, have called the use of the notwithstanding clause "shameful," sparking wider debate about labour rights.

As Calgary's school bells prepare to ring once more, the province emphasizes educational continuity. Yet, the underlying issues that sparked the walkout, and the controversial means of ending it, will likely remain a hot topic in kitchens and staffrooms across the city.