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Teacher Labour Disruption

UPDATE: September 10, 2025

Today the Alberta Teachers' Association issued formal strike notification and confirmed Monday, October 6, 2025 as the date job action will commence if a deal is not reached between the ATA and TEBA before then.  Both the ATA and TEBA have indicated a willingness to return to the table and it is anticipated mediated negotiations will resume as quickly as possible.

Families are advised to develop plans for the care of their children in the event of labour disruption.

A statement from the Minister of Finance can be found HERE

A statement from the ATA can be found HERE

UPDATE: August 29, 2025

Talks between the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) and the Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) have reached an impasse and a settlement has not been reached between the province and teachers.

Statements from the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teachers' Association can be found below:

Government of Alberta statement

Alberta Teachers' Association update

Today, representatives from the province's school boards voted in favour of authorizing 'lock-out' authority for TEBA.  Similar to 'strike authorization', a lock out is a recognized option for employers to use to manage labour unrest, in the event that the ATA initiates labour disruption. 

Both 'strike' and 'lock out' authorization require parties to issue 72 Hours of notice prior to initiating any type of labour action.   

Schools remain open and we are hopeful that TEBA and the ATA will resume negotiations and reach a settlement that is fair to all parties.

Please refer back this website for the most current information.

Overview

Current Situation: Teacher Labour Disruption

Planning for the 2025-26 School Year 

Grande Prairie Public School Division recognizes that uncertainty around potential teacher labour action may be challenging for families. The intent of this page is to provide information about potential labour action by the Alberta Teachers' Association and to describe how the division is preparing to respond.

In June, the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) reported that 94.5% of its members voted in favour of strike action. GPPSD is continuing its planning for the first day of school on August 28, 2025.  

Please refer back to this page for the division's most current updates.

What Happens Next?

TEBA and the ATA continue to engage in the bargaining process and are scheduled for continuing mediation on August 26-29, 2025.

If the ATA decides to commence labour action that would have an impact during the school day, the union must provide school boards with 72 hours’ notice. 

The ATA has 120 days to commence labour action, unless a resolution is reached between the provincial government's Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association​ (TEBA) and the ATA. ​ The 120 day window for labour action will expire in mid-October.

We value the contributions of all employees who support student success, and we respect the provincial bargaining process.

Bargaining Process

Bargaining between TEBA and the ATA occurs centrally at the provincial level. This means that items like teacher salaries are set through the provincial collective agreement, not through individual school boards.

Local bargaining between GPPSD and Trumpeter Local 26 can only commence once this process has been completed.  Local bargaining typically attends to non-monetary items in the collective agreement.

We hope that TEBA and ATA are able to conclude the bargaining process as soon as possible so that a new collective agreement can be reached.​​

About the ATA

​The ATA includes more than 46,000 certificated members across Alberta, including more than 500 who work for Grande Prairie Public School Division. The ATA is divided into 55 local bargaining units. Trumpeter Local 26 comprises members of the ATA employed by the GPPSD. This includes certificated employees including teachers, substitute teachers, assistant principals and principals.

Collective Agreements