CUPE reaction to Alberta budget 2025

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill reacted to certain aspects of the provincial budget tabled today.

On education funding:

“The government has increased education funding, but it’s not enough to cover enrollment and inflation. We would need an increase of 6.8%, what we got was 4.5%. So Alberta's education will continue to deteriorate.

For four years, Alberta has had the lowest education spending in Canada.

This means the strikes are likely to continue and spread to more school districts. The government does not seem to care that education support workers are making poverty wages, and have gone a decade without a proper increase.”

On the tax cut:

“A tax cut is nice, but it doesn’t do much for support workers earning $34,500. It means about $13/week. That doesn’t lift them out of poverty. Meanwhile, the richest of the rich are getting massive tax breaks that are more than support workers make in a year.”

On hiring more teachers and support staff:

“Funding to hire more teachers and support staff, and some support for children with special needs is welcome. However, it doesn’t address the low wages in the sector that are making it difficult to hire support staff. Edmonton Public School Division alone has a 10% vacancy rate among support staff. The government needs to address low wages in the field.”

:clc/cope 491