Calgarians,
At a time when we should be focused on helping our children become the very best they can be, we find ourselves facing a teachers’ strike, and a provincial government that has chosen to turn off voices instead of listening to them.
This moment is about respect.
It is about respect for parents who are working hard to provide for their families, now forced into impossible choices about who can stay home, how to find child care, and how to afford it. It is about respect for families who are not trained as educators, yet are handed curriculum packages as if teaching were just another household chore.
It is about respect for teachers who dedicate their lives to our children, showing up day after day in crowded, under-resourced classrooms, giving everything they can in conditions that make it harder to deliver the education every child deserves.
It is about respect for students, who want nothing more than to learn, to grow, and to thrive, but who instead are caught in the middle of a political dispute not of their making.
And it is about respect for our city and our economy, because when parents are pushed out of work to take on the role of stay-at-home educators, it doesn’t just hurt their households. It takes a toll on Calgary’s prosperity and our shared future.
I see you, Calgarians. I see the parents doing everything they can to balance work, family, and the uncertainty of each day. I see the teachers who continue to give their all, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against them. I see the students whose resilience and determination inspire us to be better.
I stand with you. I will raise my voice for the respect and dignity you deserve because strong families, strong classrooms, and strong communities are the foundation of a strong Calgary.
Sincerely,
Jyoti Gondek
