Dozens of advocates for public education convened at the Marda Loop Community Centre in Calgary on Saturday, January 10, 2026, for a strategic town hall. The meeting was part of a province-wide Day of Action for the Love of Public Education, aiming to address mounting pressures on the system and forge a unified path forward.
A System Under Siege: Chronic Underfunding and Policy Shifts
Medeana Moussa, executive director of Support Our Students (SOS) Alberta and an event organizer, framed the current climate as one of sustained assault. "In the last six years, and in particular the last year, there's been a lot of attacks by the current government on public education," Moussa stated. She detailed a pattern of challenges including chronic underfunding, the diversion of public funds to private institutions, significant changes to sexual health education policies, and the province's controversial use of the notwithstanding clause on two recent occasions.
"The main goal is to educate our communities that these policies don't just live in isolation. It's a cumulative impact on the system," Moussa explained, urging attendees to see the broader picture.
Connecting the Dots: From Teacher Strikes to Transgender Rights
The town hall connected several high-profile events to illustrate what organizers call a coordinated effort. In October, 51,000 Alberta teachers engaged in a strike lasting over three weeks, deadlocked with the province over issues like class size caps, inflation-adjusted salaries, and resources for complex classrooms. The dispute ended when the government ordered teachers back to work using the notwithstanding clause, a constitutional tool that prevents court challenges to legislation.
In December, the province invoked the clause again concerning three laws affecting transgender youth. Furthermore, the 2025 provincial budget faced criticism for allocating $461 million to private schools. "These announcements come out isolated from the other, but they actually do come together to show that the overall goal is to stop supporting public education," Moussa argued. She warned of a parallel trend in healthcare and emphasized the lack of public accountability in private entities receiving government funds.
The Long-Term Stakes for Alberta's Future
The consequences of a weakened public education system are profound, advocates warned. Moussa painted a stark picture of the potential outcome: a fragmented system where equal access to quality education vanishes. "You end up with people who aren't educated... a workforce that actually isn't competitive or capable. I think long term, you weaken your province," she said. The rally served as a call to action, stressing that a strong public education system is foundational to a strong Alberta, and that defending it requires recognizing and resisting what they view as a deliberate, multi-front campaign.
The event in Marda Loop underscored a growing mobilization among education supporters, determined to shift the narrative and protect the province's public schools from what they perceive as existential threats.
