Starting Tuesday, Oct. 14th, Alberta parents can apply for financial support as the province’s teachers’ strike continues.
The government says eligible parents and guardians will receive $30 per child aged 12 and under for each day of labour action, equivalent to $150 per week, for a five-day school week.
The payments will be retroactive to October 6, the first day of the strike, and continue for as long as the job action lasts. The money will be e-transferred monthly, starting October 31, and will not be taxable.
Finance Minister Nate Horner says the funds will come from redirected, unspent educational grants, including teachers’ salaries that go unpaid during the strike. The province says the benefit is meant to help offset extra costs for parents, such as childcare and meals, and will not need to be repaid.
To qualify, applicants must:
– Be the parent or guardian of a child aged 12 or under
– Have a child enrolled in a public, Catholic, or francophone school
– Live in Alberta
Only one parent or guardian per child can receive the payment. Government staff will review applications to verify eligibility.
More information on how to apply, as well as other available supports, is available on the Government of Alberta website.
Meanwhile, the teachers’ union and the provincial bargaining committee are scheduled to meet Tuesday for the first time since the strike began eight days ago. The last offer from the government a 12 per cent pay increase over four years and the hiring of 3,000 additional teachers was rejected by educators last month.
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