Council authorizes next step in central table bargaining

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held May 5–6, 2025, at Barnett House, Edmonton.

1. Authorized staff to make best efforts to align eligibility to participate in the strike-vote authorization vote with eligibility to participate in a strike vote as set under the Labour Relations Code.
2. Authorized the Association to hold a strike-vote authorization vote from 0900 on May 22 to 1700 on May 26.
3. Authorized a Bargaining Advisory Committee meeting to be held on 2025 05 07 with Provincial Executive Council, Provincial Executive Council-elect, local presidents, Teacher Welfare Committee chairs and local communications officers.
4. Approved for submission to the 2025 Annual Representative Assembly (ARA) a resolution that amends policy 23.2.2.1 to read, “The Association does not align itself with any political party or with any candidate seeking political office, although it may identify, attribute and take a position on platform positions or statements made by candidates, slates and/or parties that are in opposition to the best interests of public education.”
5. Approved for submission to the 2025 ARA resolutions that oppose the piloting of the Math 7–9, Social Studies 7–9, Physical Education and Wellness 7–10 and CALM curriculum in the 2025/26 school year; urge the minister of education to ensure that curriculum intended for piloting and/or implementation is publicly released a minimum of five months, not inclusive of the summer months, in advance of the projected piloting and/or implementation date, and with an accompanying repository of teaching and learning resources to support piloting and/or implementation of the released curriculum; urge the Minister of Education to discontinue the administration of provincially mandated standardized literacy and numeracy screening assessments in kindergarten to Grade 3; and urge the ministry of education to recognize and grant individual teachers with authority to decide whether to use ministry-recommended literacy and numeracy screening assessments and, if utilized, when in the school year the screening assessments will be administered and to whom.
6. Approved the Association’s nominees to the Canadian Teachers’ Federation Advisory Committee on the Teaching Profession, Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, Advisory Committee on Diversity and Human Rights, Advisory Committee on Indigenous Education and Advisory Committee on French as a First Language.
7. Approved the draft Association calendar for 2025/26 and provisionally approved for finalization by staff the draft Association calendars for 2026/27 and 2027/28.
8. Approved Council committee and representation assignments for 2025/26.
9. Authorized the chair of the Central Table Bargaining Committee (CTBC) to stay on as chair until the conclusion of the current round of central bargaining and appointed two members of Council to the CTBC.
10. Amended the Substitute Teachers Committee frame of reference.