Jason Schilling

Happy Canada Day. 🇨🇦

From the article: "Hundreds of children and teens already attending Alberta schools could be ineligible to enrol for free in September as their families’ immigration status hangs in limbo.

Of the nearly 46,000 students in Alberta schools who are temporarily in Canada, data provided to CBC News by some school boards shows that potentially thousands of children and youths’ study permits will expire by Sept. 30, 2026 — the day after Alberta Education takes a headcount to determine each school’s funding."

Google CBC Edmonton, Janet French for the full story.

Worth a read

Hundreds of undocumented Alberta students at risk of losing free access to school | CBC News Hundreds of children and teenagers already attending Alberta schools could be ineligible to enrol in September as their families’ immigration status hangs in limbo.

Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling has issued the following statement regarding the Government of Alberta’s announcement of an expansion to the Classroom Complexity Grant program for Grades 7–12:

“Any investment that recognizes the realities of class size and classroom complexity in Alberta’s classrooms is a welcome and important step forward.

Today’s announcement reflects what teachers across Alberta have been saying for years: increasingly complex classrooms require additional support. The minister’s acknowledgement of these challenges, and the expansion of classroom complexity supports from elementary schools into Grades 7–12, demonstrates that the voice of Alberta teachers last October was heard and continues to make a difference.

The challenge now is to actually get teachers in front of students.

With the school year drawing to a close, school divisions will need to move quickly to recruit and place these new staff so students and teachers see meaningful support when classrooms reopen in the fall. Ultimately, the success of today’s investment will be realized when qualified teachers are in schools by September, when resources reach the classrooms with the greatest need and when this funding is sustained over the long term.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association acknowledges today’s progress and appreciates the work of the Cabinet Committee in responding to concerns raised by teachers. At the same time, we all understand that there is still work to be done.

We will continue to advocate for sustained investment, predictable staffing and smaller class sizes to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed and every teacher has the support needed to meet the growing complexity of Alberta’s classrooms.”

From the latest ATA News:

Deciding what to write for this final edition of ATA News has been challenging, especially given the year teachers and school leaders have experienced. How do you convey the mix of anger and hope, disappointment and pride, while reflecting on the past and looking toward the future?

As I think about this tumultuous year, one theme stands out: the power of community.

Last October, teachers, parents, students and the public stood together for three remarkable weeks and told the government that the chronic underfunding of public education was no longer acceptable.

Even after the strike ended and disastrous Bill 2 was introduced, our teaching community remained resilient. Teachers should be proud of the stand they took. While the outcome left many feeling angry and disappointed, the strike was not merely symbolic. It influenced political decisions, shifted public opinion, and reasserted the collective voice of teachers. That power remains, try as they might; the government has not taken away the voice of teachers.

I was reminded of the importance of community recently when I hosted presidents of teacher organizations from across Canada. While Alberta's circumstances are unique, many of the challenges we face such as funding pressures, class size, classroom complexity, violence in schools, and bargaining are shared across the country. There was comfort in knowing we are not alone.

Sometimes this work can feel isolating, but those conversations reinforced that educators everywhere remain committed to supporting their members, their students, and public education.

Community also revealed itself in a more personal way this spring.

In May, I attended the celebration of life for my former colleague Mike Gibson, who passed away suddenly. Mike and I taught together at Kate Andrews for 14 years, and his loss is deeply felt by his family, friends and former coworkers.

At the service, I saw colleagues I had not connected with in years. As I listened to the stories shared, I was struck by the community that had gathered around Mike and his family. Former colleagues, students, friends, and relatives came together to honour a life that had touched so many others. Mike loved teaching, and that love was woven throughout the afternoon. We laughed, we cried and we shared memories of a colleague gone too soon.

Driving home, I reflected on the year, the struggles, the small moments of joy, the losses and the lessons. Despite everything, I am grateful to be part of this teaching community.

This year has been difficult, both professionally and personally, for many of us. As summer approaches, I hope you find the rest you deserve. Be protective of your time and generous with yourself. There is still important work ahead, but as this year has shown us time and again, we are strongest when we face it together.

Alberta Teachers’ Association President Jason Schilling has issued the following statement regarding the 2026 referendum questions that address access to public education based on immigration status.

“The Alberta Teachers’ Association opposes any ballot questions in the Alberta referendum that refer to restricting access to provincially funded public education based on a child’s immigration status. Children do not choose their immigration status, and they should not be denied an education because of it. Every child in
Alberta deserves access to publicly funded education. Period.

Schools are places of safety, stability and opportunity. They must never become places where children or families face the fear of exclusion. Canada signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which recognize education as a right for every child.

School staff should not be placed in the position of acting as immigration authorities. It would corrode the trust that strong student–teacher relationships depend on. Schools play an essential role in building and maintaining healthy communities. They
are spaces where children form lifelong friendships, develop important social connections and gain the skills needed to participate fully in society.

When children are excluded from school, everyone loses. Children become isolated, families become disconnected and communities become weaker.

Other Canadian provinces have already acted to ensure that no child is denied public education based on immigration status. Alberta should be doing the same. Every child who walks through a school door in this province deserves to be there. This should not be a political question. It is a commitment every Albertan should be proud to uphold.”

Colleagues, make sure to sign this petition then share widely.

Petition to End Notwithstanding Clause Use - CTF-FCE Governments are enacting the notwithstanding clause to deny human and democratic rights – and it’s at the expense of youth, educators, and all workers.

Joint Statement from Canada’s Education Leaders

In Opposition to the Use of the Notwithstanding Clause in Labour Negotiations Teacher organization presidents from across Canada, representing more than 420,000 educators, met in Banff, Alberta, on June 1, 2026, to discuss the potential use of the Notwithstanding Clause (Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) by provincial/territorial governments for issues it was never intended for, as it has been in Alberta.
The presidents affirmed their shared commitment to the democratic rights of teachers and all workers and stand united in their condemnation of the use of the Notwithstanding Clause as
a tool to override constitutionally protected rights to freedom of association, collective bargaining, and strike action.

A Growing Pattern of Overreach

The Notwithstanding Clause was designed as a safeguard to be invoked only in exceptional and demonstrably justified circumstances. It was never intended to be a routine tool for
governments to bypass the courts and silence workers amid legitimate labour disputes.

In the past five years, the Notwithstanding Clause has been used more frequently to deny human and democratic rights than at any other time in our lifetimes. Recently, Premiers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec have invoked the Notwithstanding Clause in the following legislation:

• Bill 2, “Back to School Act” in Alberta, 2025
• Bill 9, “Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act” in Alberta, 2025
• Bill 137, “Parents’ Bill of Rights” in Saskatchewan, 2023
• Bill 28, “Keeping Students in Class Act” in Ontario, 2022
• Bill 307, “Protecting Elections and Defending Democracy Act” in Ontario, 2021
• Bill 96, “An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec” in Quebec, 2022

When governments invoke the Notwithstanding Clause to end labour disputes, they are not simply legislating. They are telling workers that their rights are conditional and that the Charter protections all Canadians depend upon can be switched off when it is politically convenient to do so. This is a threat not only to teachers, but to every worker and every citizen in this country.

Our Collective Position
The undersigned presidents, representing teachers and education workers in every province and territory across Canada, collectively and unequivocally declare:
• The use of the Notwithstanding Clause during labour negotiations is an abuse of legislative power. Governments must engage in good-faith collective bargaining, not weaponize the Constitution to silence workers.
• Teachers’ rights to freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike are constitutionally protected and must remain so. No government should be able to
pre-emptively nullify these rights and block the courts from providing recourse.
• The Notwithstanding Clause must only ever be used as a last resort, after judicial review has been permitted. Its pre-emptive use to shield legislation from Charter challenges is a
subversion of the democratic rule of law.
• The implications of this trend extend far beyond education, threatening every worker and citizen in this country. What is happening to teachers today can happen to any
worker, in any sector, tomorrow. This is a national issue requiring a national response.

Together we call on all levels of government to take the following immediate actions:
• Commit to good-faith collective bargaining with teachers and education workers, and resolve disputes through negotiation and mediation.
• Pledge not to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause in the context of labour relations with teachers and education workers.
• Support federal action to review and restrict provincial/territorial use of Section 3 when it is applied to deny citizens’ fundamental democratic and human rights.
• Ensure judicial oversight is preserved by allowing courts the opportunity to examine the
constitutionality of any legislation before the Notwithstanding Clause is considered.

Additionally, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE) Board of Directors has launched a petition that calls upon the federal government to “annul or repeal any future provincial
legislation that restricts workers’ rights to strike and collectively bargain through the use of the Notwithstanding Clause, and to affirm the federal government’s responsibility to uphold Charter
rights across Canada.”

The presidents of all provincial/territorial teachers’ organizations strongly encourage all Canadians who share our values to add their names to this petition before it closes on July
24, 2026. The petition can be found at: https://www.ctf-fce.ca/take-action/notwithstanding-clause-petition/

It is not too late to act with integrity. But governments must choose to do so now.

Signatories
Jason Schilling – Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA)
Gabrielle Lemieux – Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)
Éric Godin, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants francophones du NouveauBrunswick, Fédération des enseignants du Nouveau-Brunswick (AEFNB/FENB)
Carole Gordon – British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF)
Clint Johnston – Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE)
Mona-Élise Sévigny – Éducatrices et éducateurs francophones du Manitoba (ÉFM)
David Mastin – Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
Heidi Ryder – New Brunswick Teachers’ Association, New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation
(NBTA/NBTF)
Dale Lambe – Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association (NLTA)
Peter Day – Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU)
Justin Matchett – Nunavut Teachers’ Association (NTA)
René Jansen in de Wal – Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
Martha Hradowy – Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO)
Andy Doran – Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation (PEITF)
Samantha Becotte – Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF)
Ted Hupé – Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP)
Chris Cowley – Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF)
Heidi Yetman – Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT)
Rita Mueller – Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association (NWTTA)
Lillian Klausen – Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS)

Petition to End Notwithstanding Clause Use - CTF-FCE Governments are enacting the notwithstanding clause to deny human and democratic rights – and it’s at the expense of youth, educators, and all workers.

This is an excellent read (you’ll have to Google it though).

From the article “The issue of complexity in Alberta classrooms has dominated education news, ever since the teachers’ strike last fall. When CBC News surveyed Alberta teachers in January, many of them said what they wanted most was for a journalist to sit with them and see what teaching is actually like.”

This is an excellent read on the realities teachers and students are facing in schools today.

This teacher’s superpower is dealing with the unexpected. She needs it | CBC News When CBC News surveyed Alberta teachers in January, many of them said what they wanted most was for a journalist to sit with them and see what teaching is actually like. Here’s what we saw: a complexity that’s often not dramatic, but a constant triaging of needs and, teachers say, an exhausting ...