Teachers rally outside legislature in Regina, picket across the province

Saskatchewan teachers picketed and rallied in locations across the province Wednesday, includingoutside the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina where the government was announcingits annual budget.

The one-day provincewide strike was the latest action taken by the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation following the breakdown in contract negotiations with the government.

Teachers are also withdrawing from extracurricular duties Thursday and Friday, an action that caused the shortening of the Optimist Band Festival in Regina this week and the cancellation of the Hoopla provincial basketball tournament in Moose Jaw that was scheduled to begin Thursday.

In place of Hoopla, organizers announced a one-day event for Saturday, where every team that qualified for Hoopla would be invited to play a single game.

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation also gave notice of another one-day strike for teachers in Lloydminster Public, Lloydminster Catholic and Horizon school divisions. It is set to happen Friday.

Teachers are steadfast that classroom size and complexity should be added to the contract agreement, while the provincial government says the bargaining table isn't the place for that issue.

WATCH | Teachers picketing at Sask. legislature on budget day amid mounting tensions between union and province:

Teachers picketing at Sask. legislature on budget day amid mounting tensions between union and province

7 months ago

Duration 2:34

The Saskatchewan Party government is releasing its 2024 budget on a day teachers descended on the legislative building to demand the province negotiate on classroom sizes and other supports.

Allison Gritzfeld and Christine Bruce, who travelled from Moose Jaw to Regina, were among the teachers marching outside the legislature.

Bruce, who teaches Grade 4 and Grade 5, said while she is a strong believer of inclusive education, class sizes become a hurdle.

"When we have so many students in our classroom, it makes it really tough to meet all of the students' needs the way that I would really hope to. I'm here to fight for all of my students in the past and in the present," she said.

Bruce said it's "really tough to meet all of the needs" when her classrooms have north of 27 students.

"That I've had most years. It's a big challenge. It's a struggle," she said.Gritzfeld agreed, saying the end goal is to envisage a better Saskatchewan for all students.

"We're trying to better our province.We're trying to better this for our kids. Between all the politics and negotiations of money and whatever else, this is for the kids."

LISTEN | Saskatchewan residents weigh in on latest teacher job action:

Blue Sky49:33Saskatchewan weighs in on latest teacher job action

Saskatchewan Teachers are on the picket lines today and are following today's strike with two days of withdrawing extracurricular activities. Events including the Hoopla basketball tournament in Moose Jaw hang in the balance as teachers advocate for classroom size and complexity to be included in their collective agreement. Today on the show we heard from teachers on the picket line about what they are seeing in their classrooms, we heard from parents who are affected by these job actions and we spoke to Annie Kidder from People for Education about how the issues in Saskatchewan are being seen across this country.

Following the announcement of the budget on Wednesday afternoon, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said he agrees that with the growth of the population in Saskatchewan, more investment is needed in the areas of education and health.

"We've heard loud and clear from parents and teachers around the province that more investment in education is needed,100 per centagree," he said.

"In this budget, we're seeing the largest ever increase to school operating funding but in addition to that, what we've also announced, $212 million capital budget, an increase of almost 47 per centto education capital in the province, announcing ninenew schools in the province, as well as twomajor renovations."

When asked about the teachers rallying outside the legislature, Cockrill said he wanted to see bargaining move forward.

"Obviously, when it comes to where we're at with bargaining, it's a frustrating situation," he said.

Teachers strike in Saskatoon

Wednesday in Saskatoon, hundreds of teachers, family members and some students also took to the streets. CBC spoke with some outside Midtown Mall in downtown Saskatoon.

Zak Lindsay said he is marching for his students and wants the government to add classroom size and complexity to the contract agreement

"My complexities in my classroom is I'm teaching more than one curriculum. I am experiencing extreme needs in terms of mental health, academic needs and supports," he said.

"Unfortunately, what we're getting right now is to wait and we're done waiting. We're here now saying that enough is enough."

Lindsay said the government should stop playing "political games" as students "aren't political pawns" to be used.

Students participating in a teacher-student practicum shared their hopes of a better future for teachers.

Kaythean Ballantyne said "the government needs to get their stuff together" and listen to teachers.

"You need to act now. Act with kindness and you need to be there for the future and not just now. The future is the only thing that matters, and that is our children."