Some 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers Association are poised to begin a strike today. The labour action, if it goes ahead, will impact more than 700,000 students across 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools. Most school boards _ including those in Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray and Lethbridge _ have sent notices telling families that barring an 11th-hour deal, classes would be paused beginning Monday. Both sides appeared far apart late last week but the union said Friday they had resumed ``exploratory conversations.'' Teachers rejected the government's latest offer

Schools across Alberta are preparing to close their doors while the province readies a home curriculum for students ahead of Monday's provincewide teachers strike. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the province has already put online a curriculum that parents can use to teach their children should the 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers' Association make good on their promise to walk out. Nicolaides says it's not fair that students would be forced to bear the brunt of the walkout, which would affect more than 700,000 students across public, separate and francophone sch

RCMP are expected to give an update later today on the search for a six-year-old boy missing from the southern Alberta Rockies. Darius Macdougall was reported missing on Sept. 21 after he didn't return from a walk with six young relatives in the Crowsnest Pass area, where his family had been camping. Mounties say his chances of survival in the mountainous terrain are slim, but that they won't scale back the search, noting there's been nothing to suggest foul play. The boy's family says they're grateful to the searchers and won't rest until he's brought home. Hundreds of searcher

The family of a six-year-old Alberta boy missing for more than a week says they won't rest until he's brought home. A statement by the family of Darius Macdougall comes as the search for the boy enters its second week and hundreds comb through mountainous terrain in southern Alberta. It says the family is thankful to the searchers for their dedication and that the community's support has provided them strength and hope. Darius was reported missing after he didn't return from a walk with six young relatives in the Crowsnest Pass area, where the family had been camping. RCMP had

The head of the Alberta Teachers' Association says no talks are scheduled and 51,000 teachers are set to hit picket lines Monday in a provincewide strike. Jason Schilling says teachers sent a clear message Monday night by overwhelming rejecting the latest contract offer from Premier Danielle Smith's government. Schilling, in an interview on Corus radio, says the government's offer of a 12-per-cent pay raise over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers is a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed to catch up on wages and reduce overcrowded classrooms. He says th

Five provinces are increasing their minimum wage today to support workers amid affordability issues. The hikes will apply to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The provinces have tied their increases to Canada's steadily growing consumer price index, which is an indicator of inflation. Ontario's minimum wage is now $17.60 per hour, Nova Scotia's and Prince Edward Island's are $16.50 an hour, Manitoba's is $16 per hour and Saskatchewan's is $15.35 an hour. Alberta is the only province that has not boosted its minimum wage, with its $15-per-hour rate now the l

Voting closes today for Alberta teachers on the latest contract offer from the province, one week before a provincewide strike deadline. The Alberta Teachers' Association is expected to announce the results tonight. The union has said that if the deal is voted down, 51,000 teachers would likely hit picket lines Oct. 6. The deal on the table is largely the same as the province's previous offer, with an added commitment to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers. Voting started Saturday on the new contract, which would see teachers receive a 12 per cent pay raise over four

Premier Danielle Smith and her Alberta Next panel are set to wrap up their cross-province tour tonight in Calgary. It's their tenth and final town hall since July consulting residents about the province's relationship with the federal government. The panel is pitching six ideas that could become referendum questions, including exiting the Canada Pension Plan for an Alberta-run version, creating a provincial police force and wrestling more control over immigration. Though initially billed as consultations, the premier told the most recent town hall in Grande Prairie that the prov

The Alberta Medical Association says Premier Danielle Smith needs to do her own research, after she told critics of a law restricting health care for transgender youth that they need to ``look up what puberty is.'' Smith has defended the law that prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers for those under 16, saying the drugs permanently sterilize children. Dr. Sam Wong, president of the association's pediatrics section, says it isn't true that puberty blockers render a person infertile or sterile, adding that Smith should get her facts straight and be less condescending.