FORT McMURRAY — The school year has come to an end across Fort McMurray’s public and Catholic school divisions, closing a year marked by a provincewide teachers’ strike, government intervention and an ongoing legal challenge over Alberta’s back-to-work legislation.
Students began summer break this week after a school year that opened with labour action by members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association before the provincial government passed Bill 2, the Back to School Act, ordering teachers back to work three weeks later.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association challenged the legislation in court, seeking an injunction to suspend the law while its constitutional challenge proceeded.
In March, Court of King’s Bench Justice Douglas Mah dismissed the injunction application, allowing Bill 2 to remain in force and teachers to continue working under the imposed settlement.
The association’s broader constitutional challenge remains before the courts. A hearing originally scheduled for September 2026 has been postponed until the week of July 19, 2027.
With the legislation remaining in effect, the upcoming 2026-27 school year is expected to begin without labour disruption.
As classrooms empty for the summer, motorists are also seeing a seasonal change on local roads.
School zones are no longer in effect, although playground zones remain active throughout the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Drivers are being reminded to remain alert for children using parks, playgrounds and neighbourhood streets during the summer months.
Teachers in the Fort McMurray Public School Division are scheduled to return on Aug. 25, with students returning to classrooms Sept. 1.
Students in the Fort McMurray Catholic School Division are also scheduled to begin the new school year on August 31.
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