EDMONTON: The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has reported that the province-wide teacher strike is negatively impacting businesses across the city. While the Chamber is not taking sides in the labor dispute, Association Leader Doug Griffiths expressed hope that the strike will be resolved as quickly as possible.
Griffiths stated that the crisis in the business sector has worsened due to parents having to stay home to look after their children. He urged the provincial government to take swift action to minimize the harm being done to entrepreneurs, employees, and their communities.
The strike is concluding its second week, affecting approximately 740,000 students from 2,500 schools. Meanwhile, the government has called for teachers to end the strike and return to work during the final week of October, when the legislature is scheduled to convene.
According to Jason Schilling, President of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), the provincial government sent a letter to the ATA on Thursday, asking teachers to return to class starting Monday, October 20.
