National

Edmonton school board, union for support staff head back to bargaining table

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Jan, 2025 06:08 PM

The union representing school support workers in Edmonton says it has returned to the bargaining table with the city's public school board.

Some 3,000 staff, from educational assistants to cafeteria workers, have been on picket lines since Jan. 13 over a wage dispute with the Edmonton Public School Board.

Tony Clark with the Canadian Union of Public Employees says it's demanding a liveable wage after "years of zeros and near zeros."

The union has said the average education support worker in Alberta makes $34,500 per year and educational assistants $26,400 per year.

School board superintendent Darrel Robertson says he's looking forward to meeting with the union and is hopeful they can reach a deal.

The strike has been backed by the Alberta Teachers' Association and school board trustee Trisha Estabrooks, who resigned from her post Wednesday to stand in solidarity with workers.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

At the U.S-Mexico border, residents want Donald Trump to fulfill his promises

Monday evening the president-elect posted on Truth Social that he will sign an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on all products coming in to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico until both countries stop drugs, in particular fentanyl, and people from illegally crossing the borders.

At the U.S-Mexico border, residents want Donald Trump to fulfill his promises

Busy travel season at the border ahead of US Thanksgiving

Canada's Border Services Agency is warning travellers heading to the U-S for Thanksgiving to plan ahead to minimize waits during the busy travel season. The agency says it is monitoring traveller volumes for peak periods and will take steps to minimize waits at both land crossings and at international airports, but travellers can avoid long lines if they travel in the early mornings.

Busy travel season at the border ahead of US Thanksgiving

Impaired driver rear ends a police vehicle

Nanaimo police say an officer narrowly avoided serious injury after a suspected impaired driver rear-ended a police vehicle over the weekend. Police say the officer had stopped roadside along with another vehicle he had pulled over for speeding when an S-U-V struck the police car from behind.

Impaired driver rear ends a police vehicle

Woman injured in police altercation

B-C's independent police watchdog is investigating after a woman was seriously injured in Chilliwack during an altercation with officers. The Independent Investigations Office says the woman was allegedly impaired and refusing to take a cab at a restaurant on November 22nd, choosing instead to get into her car.

Woman injured in police altercation

Silent vigil held at the BC legislature

Activists say a silent vigil was held at the B-C Legislature in memory of 16 women killed this year, an event coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Vigil organizer Vancouver Rape Relief says participants held up signs with the names of the women killed this year, along with a large banner that read "no more femicide."

Silent vigil held at the BC legislature

LifeLabs data breach report released after firm loses four-year bid to keep it quiet

A statement from the privacy commissioners of both Ontario and British Columbia says their joint report, completed in June 2020, found that LifeLabs "failed to take reasonable steps" to protect clients' data while collecting more personal health information than was "reasonably necessary."