Alberta teacher strike adding extra stress to parents

Chris Anderson has two daughters in school. He relies on school-provided meals to help his family with food costs.

“It’s stressful when the kids come to you and they’re like, ‘Hey, we just had lunch, we’re still hungry,’” Anderson explained.

“You go and you kind of rummage through the cupboards. You say here have a cup of yogurt, stuff like that, but you know it hurts a bit when you can see them that they’re still hungry.”

With the Alberta teachers’ strike entering its second week, Anderson says it’s been difficult to keep up.

“Not having the kids at school, it’s you know, a it’s little bit harder because now we’re trying to juggle an extra lunch and it’s extra snacks and it kinda adds up.”

The Alberta government is offering eligible parents $30-a-day for children aged 12 and under, with applications opening Tuesday. Anderson says he’ll be using the money to pay for groceries and to put food on the table.

“Groceries. Kind of trying to balance everything out. You know if we’re using credit cards paying them back. Stuff like that. It’s gonna be helpful once we get it. It’s just the meantime while we’re waiting for it that’s the big thing,” said Anderson.

He says the strike is also adding another layer of stress, with parents like him having to find alternatives to keep their kids busy.

“We’re struggling and we’re kind of taking it day-by-day approach, trying to schedule things that we can do for free and we’re looking more and more for that kind of stuff.”

Anderson was able to connect with other community supports during the strike.. But he says he’s concerned for those families who are left with no support-hoping for a deal to be reached.