As of 2025 12 31, teachers and early childhood educators (ECEs) working in rural and remote communities are included in the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness program. This federal initiative aims to support the recruitment and retention of qualified professionals in underserved communities by reducing eligible educators' outstanding federal student loan debt.

To be eligible, teachers must be employed in an eligible rural or remote community, complete at least 10 consecutive months of employment and provide at least 400 hours of in-person services. Applicants must also hold a federal student loan in good standing and be appropriately certified or registered in their profession. The application for the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness program is available on the Government of Canada’s website. 

Eligible teachers may receive up to $30,000 in loan forgiveness over five years, applied only to the outstanding balance of their federal student loan. The annual forgiveness amounts for teachers increase each year, starting at $4,000 in year one and reaching $8,000 in year five. Early childhood educators (ECEs) may receive up to $15,000 over the same period.

For the purposes of this program, an eligible community is defined as a rural area or a population centre with a population of 30,000 people or fewer, based on census data. Eligibility can be confirmed using the Government of Canada’s postal code lookup tool.

Teachers may apply for loan forgiveness while in repayment, including during the six-month nonrepayment period following graduation or while pursuing further studies. Applications can be submitted once the 10-month consecutive employment requirement is met and must be filed within 90 days of becoming eligible. While paper applications are available, online applications are expected to be accessible by mid-March 2026.

Due to current regulatory requirements for the 10-month work period, some educators may not be eligible to apply until June 2026. Applications submitted earlier may be rejected on technical grounds. Members who receive a rejection are encouraged to notify the Canadian Teachers’ Federation at [email protected] so that these cases can be tracked and used to support ongoing advocacy for regulatory improvements. For questions regarding eligibility, the application process, and expected dates for loan forgiveness to be reflected in an individual’s outstanding loan balance, please contact the National Student Loan Service Centre.

WORTH SHARING
Teachers working in rural and remote communities may now qualify for significant federal student loan forgiveness, with up to $30,000 available over five years for eligible teachers. This program recognizes the challenges of recruiting and retaining educators in smaller and underserved communities and offers meaningful financial relief to those who choose to work there. While some eligibility and timing constraints remain, particularly the 10-month consecutive employment requirement, this is an important step forward. Teachers who believe they may qualify are encouraged to review the criteria carefully, confirm whether their community is eligible and apply as soon as they are able. 

More information on the program is available on the Government of Canada’s website.

Read the full Worth Knowing.
Questions? Contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208. #WeAreATA 

On their January pay statements, most teachers will notice a reduction in their take-home pay as the premiums for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Canada employment insurance (EI) resume for the new calendar year. Many teachers reach the maximum contribution limits in late spring or early summer if their annual earnings exceed the maximum contribution for CPP and EI and experience increases in their net pay until December. 

Under the CPP, teachers will contribute 5.95 per cent on pensionable earnings up to $74,600 in 2026. This is the first earnings ceiling. They will also contribute an additional four (4) per cent on earnings between the first ceiling and the second ceiling (CPP2), which is set at $85,000 for 2026.

The maximum pensionable earnings for both the base CPP and CPP2 are the amounts on which both the employee and employer are required to make CPP contributions in a given year. In 2026, employees will reach the maximum annual CPP deductions once total contributions reach $4,646.45. This amount consists of $4,230.45 for CPP and $416.00 for CPP2. 

For further clarification, for a teacher in 2026 earning above $85,000, their total maximum deduction will be $4,646.45 for CPP and CPP2 contributions. In 2025, the total maximum deduction was $4,430.10 for CPP and CPP2 contributions. This is an increase of $216.35 in 2026.

The maximum annual insurable earnings (MIE) for EI in 2026 is $68,900, an increase from the previous year. Teachers will contribute 1.63 per cent on insurable earnings to the maximum annual employee premium of $1,123.07. The MIE amount and contribution rate in 2025 was $65,700 and 1.64 per cent, respectively. The increase in the maximum deduction amount from 2025 to 2026 is $45.59.

WORTH SHARING
Teachers will notice Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and employment insurance (EI) contribution deductions again on their January paystubs. With the new CPP structures in place, there will be a p 2 larger increase in CPP and EI deductions and CPP will be a larger part of teachers’ retirement income. You can find more information on the Government of Canada's website. 

Read the full Worth Knowing.
Questions? Contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208. #WeAreATA 

​Executive staff officers from Teacher Employment Services (TES) are available to answer questions and advise members five days a week, from 9 AM to 5 PM, excluding statutory holidays.

The duty officer model is designed to provide members across the province with an efficient and timely way to connect with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). Typically, four duty officers are assigned each day, with representatives from both the Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) in Calgary and Barnett House in Edmonton. Where possible, this includes a staff officer who can provide services in French.

What to Expect When You Call
When a member contacts TES, they will first speak with a support staff member who will gather relevant contact information and a brief description of the issue. This information allows the assigned duty officer to prepare in advance by reviewing applicable collective agreement provisions, employer policies, and relevant legislation. It also ensures that the duty officer assigned has not previously been involved in the matter, helping to protect the member’s interests and maintain objectivity.

Members can expect a call back from a duty officer on the same business day. Requests received late in the day may be returned the next business day.

What Questions and Supports Can I Ask For?
Duty officers provide advice and support on a wide range of employment-related matters, including • interpretation of collective agreement provisions;
• maternity and parental leave entitlements;
• sick leave processes, including applications for extended disability benefits;
• guidance in managing interpersonal workplace conflicts;
• support through disciplinary processes, including arranging representation at meetings where appropriate;
• general information related to the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission (ATPC). Support for members who are subject to ATPC proceedings is provided directly by the ATA’s Regulatory Affairs branch, consistent with its statutory mandate;
• assistance in understanding employer policies and procedures that affect employment; and
• filing grievances and supporting members through the dispute resolution process.

I Need Help Right Now
Where possible, duty officers are available to respond to urgent requests for representation in disciplinary matters. Representation may occur in person or virtually and often requires timely coordination among the duty officer, the teacher and the employer. While not every meeting requires or permits ATA representation, duty officers will help members understand when representation is appropriate and available.

If a member is facing a serious allegation or has been advised that disciplinary action may be forthcoming, they are encouraged to contact Teacher Employment Services (TES) and request to speak with a duty officer as soon as possible.

WORTH SHARING The duty officer model ensures that Alberta teachers have timely access to experienced executive staff officers who can provide informed advice and support on employment-related issues. By contacting Teacher Employment Services during regular business hours, members can expect a prompt call back from a duty officer who has already reviewed relevant collective agreement language, employer policies and applicable legislation. This model allows teachers to receive consistent, professional guidance on matters ranging from leaves and workplace concerns to discipline and grievances. When urgent situations arise, particularly those involving potential discipline, the duty officer model is designed to respond quickly and help ensure members are supported and informed during complex or stressful circumstances.

Read the full Worth Knowing.
​Questions? Contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208. #WeAreATA 

Following the resumption of duties after strike action, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) continued their discussions on assignable and instructional time. Those discussions resulted in a joint position letter that reflects the full extent of what the parties were able to mutually agree upon.

This Worth Knowing article explains what the joint position confirms, what remains unresolved, and how the ATA will continue to support members when uncompensated time is added.

What the Joint Position with TEBA Confirms
The joint position letter clarifies how non-operational days (non-workdays) may be converted to operational days (workdays) after the strike. Specifically, the parties agreed that

• if a non-operational day (for example, a scheduled day off) is converted to an operational day—whether as an instructional day, a professional development day or another assignable day—additional compensation is required.
  
• protections apply to teachers who are unable to attend on that converted day, recognizing that the day was not originally scheduled as a workday.
  
• employers cannot simply redesignate non-workdays as workdays without pay or without regard to teacher availability.

This agreement provides important clarity and protection for teachers when calendar changes are being considered.

What the Parties Could Not Agree On
Despite extensive discussions, the ATA and TEBA were unable to reach an agreement on language that would reduce the maximum assignable time of 1,200 hours by the number of hours lost to strike action.

• The total time lost due to the strike was 96 hours (16 days × 6 hours per day).
  
• TEBA did not agree to language recognizing that these hours are permanently lost and cannot be unilaterally reinstated.

It is critical that members understand that the absence of agreement does not mean the matter is settled.

The ATA’s Position Remains Clear and Unchanged
As previously communicated in Worth Knowing 33-25 and Worth Knowing 36-25, the ATA’s position remains unchanged:

• Time lost to strike action is not recoverable.
  
• Work that was not performed because teachers exercised their right to strike cannot simply be added back later without compensation.
  
• The maximum of 1,200 assignable hours (inclusive of the maximum 916 instructional hours for full-time teachers, prorated for part-time teachers) is not a mechanism for employers to recoup strike time without cost.

If teachers collectively take labour action—and knowingly forgo salary to advance bargaining objectives—employers cannot later require that time to be made up at no cost. To allow that would fundamentally undermine collective bargaining and the right to strike.

From the ATA’s perspective, any additional time that did not previously exist—whether full days or additional minutes added to a timetable or school day—constitutes new work and must be compensated.
The ATA views attempts to reinsert strike-lost hours without compensation as unreasonable and, in many circumstances, an abuse of management rights.

For example, consider a strike in the manufacturing sector. If employees at an auto plant go on strike and thousands of vehicles are not produced, the employer cannot reasonably expect workers, upon their return, to assemble all of the vehicles that were not built during the strike—without additional compensation. Allowing that would remove one of the most important tools unions have: meaningful collective labour action.

The same principle applies in education.

What This Means for Members
Because TEBA did not agree to language addressing the reduction of assignable hours, some employers may attempt to add time back to schedules without compensation, including by

• extending instructional minutes,
  
• lengthening the regular school day or
  
• otherwise increasing assignable time beyond what previously existed.

Where this occurs without compensation, the ATA will address it case by case.

If you believe that uncompensated time is being added to your schedule in an attempt to recoup time lost to the strike

• contact Teacher Employment Services (TES) for advice and support.
  
• a duty officer will review the specific facts of your case.
  
• where appropriate, a grievance may be required if the employer is unwilling to concede to the ATA’s position.

Each case turns on its own details, but the ATA remains committed to defending members against uncompensated increases to assignable or instructional time.

WORTH SHARING
Teachers should understand that the joint position between the ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association confirms important protections when non-operational days are converted to workdays, including the requirement for additional pay and safeguards for teachers who cannot attend. However, there was no agreement to allow employers to simply reinsert time lost to the strike into teachers’ schedules without compensation.

The ATA remains clear that time lost to lawful strike action is lost and cannot be recovered—whether through extra days or additional minutes in the school day—without cost. Any attempt to do so undermines collective bargaining and the right to strike.

Teachers who believe that uncompensated time is being added to their schedules to recover strike-lost time are encouraged to contact Teacher Employment Services for advice and support at 1-800-232-7208.

Read the full Worth Knowing.
#WeAreATA

​Many teachers have asked why the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) has filed grievances regarding retroactive pay and what this means for them. This Worth Knowing article explains the issue and what teachers should do now.

Teachers Have a Right to Timely and Accurate Pay
Teachers are entitled to receive their full salary, including any retroactive pay, in a timely manner and in accordance with their collective agreements.

By May 2025, it was clear that any teacher settlement—whether negotiated or legislatively imposed—would likely include retroactive salary adjustments. In November 2025, the finalized salary grids and pay rates were provided to school divisions, giving employers the information needed to calculate and issue retroactive pay. This information provided a clear path for retroactive pay from 2024/25 and increases for the 2025/26 school year. 

Despite this, some employers advised that retroactive pay would not be issued until January 2026 or later.

A possible issue with retroactive pay for September and October for substitute teachers, due to the implementation of the partial daily rate, is under review. It is likely that, upon initial research, an arbitrator would place considerable weight on the complexity of implementing the new partial daily rate as a justifiable reason for not issuing that retroactive pay for that time period in the 2025 taxation year; however, discussions are ongoing to determine whether a broad grievance could be filed.

Why the ATA Filed Retroactive Pay Grievances
Before filing grievances, the ATA, both provincially and locally, worked at the local level to resolve the issue. When those efforts were unsuccessful, the ATA filed grievances in accordance with the grievance procedures set out in teacher collective agreements.

 The goals of these grievances are to 
• ensure retroactive salary payments are made as soon as possible, and
• make affected teachers whole, including addressing the increased tax burden that may result from delaying retroactive pay into a later taxation year.

If retroactive salary is paid in 2026 rather than 2025, teachers will likely pay more tax than they otherwise would. The grievances seek remedies that recognize and mitigate this financial impact.

Important Reminder: Deadline for Teachers Who Changed Employers
Teachers who no longer work for the same employer they did during the 2024/25 school year must contact their former employer by January 15.

This is necessary to ensure retroactive pay is properly coordinated and issued. Teachers who do not make contact may experience delays in receiving their pay.

The Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) has taken carriage of these grievances, and the ATA is working with TEBA to schedule initial meeting dates. The ATA will continue to pursue timely payment and appropriate remedies through the grievance process. Updates will be shared as matters progress.

WORTH SHARING Teachers are entitled to be paid what they are owed—and on time. The ATA has filed grievances to ensure that retroactive pay is issued promptly, so teachers are not unfairly penalized through higher taxes. Teachers who changed employers during the 2024/25 school year should contact their former employer by January 15 to avoid delays. Read the full Worth Knowing. Questions? Contact Teacher Employment and Membership Support at 1-800-232-7208. #WeAreATA