Premier Jason Kenney offered more new details on Wednesday about why his government announced temporary layoffs in Alberta’s education system over the weekend, explaining that the decision was made after a number of school boards told the government they were planning to lay off staff.
The layoffs were announced in a news release on Saturday. The government said some staff were not needed any longer as the education system pivots to online learning after schools were closed on March 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government says it expects to save $128 million through the layoffs and that the money can be used as part of its pandemic response instead. “The minister of education was contacted after the closure of the schools by