Alberta's Smith says tight budget means teachers face a stark choice in bargaining

With a provincewide teachers strike looming, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says their union has a stark choice between heftier pay hikes and more teachers.

Smith suggests they can have one or the other, but they can't have both. Smith made the comments today to reporters when asked about stalled contract talks between her government and the Alberta Teachers' Association, the day after the union set a strike date of Oct. 6.

Alberta has offered wage hikes starting at 12 per cent over four years, with a promise to hire 3,000 teachers over three years.

The union says that's not enough from a government that is among the lowest in Canada in per-student funding. But Smith says the government has a tight budget, which ispoised to run a massive $6.5 billion deficit this budget year, and says any extra boost to teacher pay will take away from its ability to hire more teachers.