Overview
- Justice Douglas Mah denied the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s request to suspend the Back to School Act, keeping the imposed contract and prohibition on job action in place.
- Mah ruled the ATA did not meet the threshold for interim relief and said halting the law could trigger uncertainty and a renewed legal strike position in schools.
- While rejecting the injunction, the judge expressed disapproval of the government’s use of the Charter’s notwithstanding clause and acknowledged teachers’ frustration with the imposed deal.
- The ATA’s constitutional challenge, which argues the clause was improperly applied including retroactively, is set for a full hearing the week of Sept. 21, 2026.
- The government announced $90 million for 6,000 additional independent‑school spaces on Friday, a move the ATA criticized as directing public funds to private schools.