Alberta Begins Payments to Families Affected by Teachers’ Strike

The Alberta government has initiated payments for families impacted by the provincewide teachers’ strike that began on October 6. Although teachers returned to their classrooms on Wednesday, financial assistance for eligible families will be retroactive, covering each school day from the strike’s onset until October 28.

Families that applied through the government’s payment portal prior to October 27 will receive payments of up to $30 per school day for each child under the age of 12. Those with children aged 17 and under who are part of the Family Support for Children with Disabilities program are eligible for payments of up to $60 per school day.

To facilitate the distribution of these funds, e-transfers will be sent to the email addresses associated with individuals’ Alberta.ca accounts. Parents have a window of 10 days to accept the funds. If they do not have automatic deposits established, the funds will be canceled and re-sent on November 30. To accept the e-transfer, parents will need their application confirmation number, which was provided during the initial application process.

In an effort to prevent fraud, the Alberta government has advised recipients to only accept e-transfers if they have applied through the official Parent Payment Program portal. Families who applied before October 27 and have not received an e-transfer by November 3 are encouraged to check their spam folders or log into their Alberta.ca accounts to verify the status of their payments.

Applications for eligible parents who have not yet applied remain open until November 14. These applications can be submitted through individual Alberta.ca accounts.