Alec Walker 🏳️‍⚧️ (he/him)
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smartalecw.bsky.social
Alec Walker 🏳️‍⚧️ (he/him)
@smartalecw.bsky.social
560 followers 850 following 1K posts
🙃 Substitute Teacher | Union Miniboss | Intersectional Feminist
💚 Knitting & Crafts | Geeky Things | Volunteering
🇨🇦 I live, work, & play on Treaty 6 territory, specifically amiskwaciwâskahikan (ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ)
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smartalecw.bsky.social
This is a picture of my cat.
He is a magnificent cat.
A picture of Sir Isaac Mewton, a long-haired black cat. He is lying on top of a person's torso, facing the camera.
November 27, 2025 at 9:35 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I haven't even looked yet at the email they drafted.

I'm going to do that now.

www.stoptheexcuses.ca/bill2letter
A screenshot that reads, "Here is the message we will send" Screenshot one of two, 136 words in the message in total. "I am extremely frustrated by your decision to legislate teachers back to work without addressing any of our concerns about class size or classroom conditions. Teachers have been doing everything they can to hold your underfunded public education system together. We deserve a fair deal. We deserve a deal that respects our right to bargain collectively. And we deserve a fair deal that commits to meaningful improvements to classroom conditions." A screenshot that reads, "Here is the message we will send" Screenshot two of two. "... improvements to classroom conditions. Instead of support or a willingness to meet us halfway, your government has trampled over our rights, showing teachers deep disrespect. Teachers are returning to work under protest and while they will abide by the UCP government’s law, they will do nothing new until teachers’ grievances are addressed."
November 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Oct 27-28, my legal rights were stripped away by an overarching government abusing its power to win a dispute.
Tues Oct 28, I got an email from ATA Prez Jason Schilling with the subject "What you can do." I'm including a screenshot, but it asked teachers to send an email.

I was disappointed, ngl.
A screenshot of an email received 2025/Oct/28 at 17:03. Sent from ATA communications. Header includes the "Stop the Excuses" and ATA logos. Email text: We know that as teachers, you’re not happy with the UCP government. Teachers fully condemn the Government of Alberta’s recent decision to violate the collective bargaining and democratic rights of Alberta teachers. This action defies one of the fundamental democratic charter rights of all Canadians. Danielle Smith and her Ministers need to know that you’re deeply disappointed. They need to know that teachers still deserve a real, fair deal. That’s why we’ve drafted an email you can send to them, letting them know that you won’t be doing anything more until they address the important issues that teachers have raised over the course of this strike. Teachers are returning to work under protest and while they will abide by the law, they will do nothing more until teachers’ legitimate grievances and aspirations are addressed. Click here to send your email. We need to let them know that teachers are standing together. Jason Schilling President, ATA There's a large yellow button at the bottom that reads, "Send your email now"
November 8, 2025 at 7:45 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
A really good overview of the current situation by @jantafrench.bsky.social.
#ABEd #ABPoli #ABLeg #AlbertaTeachers #ABGeneralStrike
A screenshot of the "Front Burner" episode dated 2025/Oct/31 entitled "Is Alberta headed for a general strike?" The episode is 27 minutes long. Description: Earlier this week Danielle Smith’s UCP government forced teachers back to work after a a three week strike using the notwithstanding clause. This prevents the Alberta Teachers' Association from challenging the legislation in court. In response, the Alberta Federation of Labour announced that the wheels are in motion for a possible general strike by the province's unions. Provincial affairs reporter for CBC Edmonton, Janet French, walks us through how these negotiations got to this point, what’s at stake for teachers, students and the government and where this fight could be headed.
November 1, 2025 at 5:24 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
In this week’s episode of The Line: Alberta Podcast, Rob speaks with Peter MacKay, an Alberta teacher. We’ll get his thoughts on how things got to this point, what led to the strike in the first place, and the pressures teachers are dealing with amid all of these unresolved issues.
A screenshot of an episode of "The Line: Alberta Podcast" dated 2025/Oct/29 entitled "Travers strike ends, but remains escalate - What the back-to-work legislation means." The episode is 36 minutes long. Description: In this week’s episode of The Line: Alberta Podcast, Rob Breakenridge takes a closer look at the Alberta government’s decision to introduce back-to-work legislation.
October 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I've moved onto the "Alberta At Noon" episode which asks Albertans to react to Bill 2.

So far, parents seem to be glad that teachers rights were trampled.

You know what else causes irreparable harm?? The intolerable conditions that most students in Alberta experience.
A screenshot of the "Alberta at Noon" episode dated 2025/Oct/28 entitled "Teachers legislated back to work." The episode is 52 minutes long. Description: Teachers have been legislated back to work. The Notwithstanding clause was invoked. There is speculation about a bigger labour action in response. Was it time for the provincial government to end the strike, or did it go too far?
October 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Post you from a different Era
(before and after shots of my first gender-affirming haircut, 2024/Feb/10)
A picture of Alec with long hair, wearing his folk fest hat. Hair is up in a high ponytail and reaches the front of his neck. He looks tired, sad, and empty. A picture of Alec taken later the same day with short hair, wearing the same hat. He looks happier.
October 30, 2025 at 3:57 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Currently listening to the newest "This Is Edmonton" episode which addresses Bill 2 (Back to School Act).

Good overview so far. Though, it doesn't feel like enough focus on how violent this act is towards teachers, our rights, and public education as a whole.

#ABEd #ABLeg #ABPoli #AlbertaTeachers
A screenshot of the episode description for the "This Is Edmonton" episode dated 2025/Oct/29 and entitled "Edmonton teachers are sent back to school. So what now?" The episode is 23 minutes long. Description: This week, the Alberta government fast-tracked Bill 2, the Back to School Act, which sends about 750,000 students and 50,000 teachers back to the classroom. It ended a contract dispute and three weeks of job action, invoking the notwithstanding clause to do it. CBC reporter Emma Zhao joins host Clare Bonnyman to break down what’s in the bill and reaction to it. Plus, an Edmonton psychologist talks about taking care of teachers, parents and students during uncertain times.
October 30, 2025 at 3:51 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I woke up this morning legally different from yesterday. It kinda feels different, but maybe that's the sleep deprivation.

But I still did what I could; participated in the drive-time demonstration at Southgate (Whitemud overpass).
I'll be able to sleep later, right? 🤣
#ABEd #AlbertaTeachers
A picture of Alec taken the morning of 2025/Oct/28. He's wearing his red toque and scarf, as well as a large sign that reads "Teachers' working conditions MATTER." Behind Alec, you can see many demonstrators wearing red, carrying signs, and marching along the overpass at Whitemud and 111 Street in Edmonton.
October 28, 2025 at 3:22 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I just received an email from The Alberta Teachers Association.

#ABEd #ABPoli #AlbertaTeachers

Here's the important snippet:
Will the Association support a continuation of strike action and/or work-to-rule by Alberta Teachers? In Alberta, in the absence of a legal strike mandate, a work-to-rule may constitute a strike. As such, and given the imminent passage and coming into force of Bill 2, the Association cannot authorize or support a work-to-rule. We will instruct teachers to return to their classrooms, abide by the conditions of their employment, meet their professional obligations and maintain any formal commitments they have made.
October 28, 2025 at 6:14 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
#ReadyToResist

Can someone with access to the bird app screenshot the rest of this thread?

#ABEd #ABPoli #AlbertaTeachers #ABCommonFront
A tweet by Gil Gowan (@gilmcgowan) My message to Alberta teachers is simple: you will not stand alone. Tomorrow all other Alberta unions will meet to finalize a plan for unprecedented collective action. The executive Council of the Canadian Labour Congress will also meet in emergency session.
October 28, 2025 at 4:26 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Example sign:
A foam board sign that reads, "teachers' working conditions matter" in black sharpie. "Teachers" and "matter" are emphasized with red. "Matter" is also written in all capital letters. The top left corner has the first date of protest, 2025/Oct/23. In each of the top corners, a single hole has been punched.
October 28, 2025 at 2:02 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I only like having the sign on one side; allows me to cape when it's going to be in the way of using my hands.

My current setup:
A picture of a red cord on a green background. The cord was made by dismantling two lanyards. Each lanyard end is tied to the middle of the other lanyard, allowing the length of the cord to be lengthened and shortened. At the end of each lanyard, there is a large metal ring, like the kind used in 3-ring binders.
October 28, 2025 at 1:56 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Screenshot for posterity.
A screenshot of the beginning of the linked article. It reads, Edmonton - Alberta teachers and students are returning to classrooms Wednesday after the provincial government moved to end the province-wide teachers strike with back-to-work legislation and a renewed focus on classroom complexity. Bill 2, called the Back to School Act, imposes a four-year agreement covering about 51,000 public, separate, and Francophone school teachers. The province says the terms match a memorandum of understanding reached Sept. 23 been the Travelers Employer Bargaining Association and the Alberta Teachers Association. Teachers later rejected those terms in a province-wide vote. The legislation invoked the notwithstanding clause to prevent Charter challenges and halt further job action. The government says Alberta's two-tier bargaining structure creates the risk of rolling local strikes in 61 school divisions once central bargaining ends. Teachers who fail to comply with the order to return to classrooms can be fined up to 500 dollars per day. The ATA or its locals can be... The screenshot cuts off the rest of the article.
October 27, 2025 at 9:46 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
Good morning folks!
If you're a teacher in the Edmonton #YEG area, there's going to be a (Back to School Act) Watch Party at Strike HQ.

I plan to be there for the solidarity (and I'm hoping there's snacks).
#AlbertaTeachers #Edmonton #EPTL #ECTL
A Facebook post by Edmonton Public Teachers Local of the Alberta Teachers Association. Caption: If you want to watch the Legislative session tomorrow and want some company and to feel some solidarity while watching, come hang out at the Strike Headquarters and be among friends! #EdPub #Local37 #StandTogether #DemandBetter Image Description: A red image of the Alberta Legislature with large white text that reads, Watch Party Back to School Act Monday, 1:30 to 6 pm Barnett House, Auditorium The logos for Edmonton Public Teachers Local and Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local are in the bottom corners.
October 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
#ABpoli #ABLeg #ABCommonFront

Alberta unions warn Premier Danielle Smith: unprecedented use of the Notwithstanding Clause against workers will result in an unprecedented response from unions in defence of worker rights.
A Facebook post by Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, dated 2025/Oct/24. It reads, BREAKING: Alberta unions warn Premier Danielle Smith: unprecedented use of the Notwithstanding Clause against workers will result in an unprecedented response from unions in defence of worker rights. At an emergency meeting held today at 5:00pm (MT), the Common Front, an umbrella group for all Alberta unions, leaders unanimously endorsed the following message to Premier Danielle Smith. Dear Premier Smith, On behalf of the more than 350,000 working Albertans who we represent, we urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to rule out the use of the Notwithstanding Clause as part of your government’s approach to the teachers’ strike. Invoking the clause would be unprecedented in the history of Canadian labour relations. It would also escalate the situation from a confrontation between your government and the teachers to a confrontation between you and the entire Canadian labour movement. If governments start using the Notwithstanding Clause as a tool in their dealings with workers and unions, it will make a mockery of the constitutionally protected right to strike. Without a robust and reliable right to strike, worker bargaining power will be eroded, and with it, the wages and living standards of all Canadian workers. If you take this unprecedented approach, we will have no choice but to mobilize an unprecedented response. There are many avenues your government could pursue to negotiate with public sector unions that do not involve invoking the Notwithstanding Clause. We urge you to choose them. Signed by all the unions of the Alberta Federation of Labour and the Alberta Common Front
October 25, 2025 at 2:58 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I keep forgetting to get people to take pictures of me where you can read my sign(s). The sign I wore yesterday;
A picture of a protest sign, dated 2025/Oct/23 In black text, the sign reads "Teachers' working conditions matter" There is red for emphasis on "teachers" "matter"
October 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
A reported crowd of approximately 30,000 gathered outside the legislature to support public education and protest the government’s approach to the teachers’ strike.

I did not take this photo. But I'm in it somewhere.
#ABEd #SupportPublicEducation #ABLeg #WeAreATA #StopTheExcuses #KidsCan'tWaitAB
A drone image of the protest 2025/Oct/23 showing the Alberta legislature building and grounds, anisotropy crammed full of demonstrators wearing red. Photo credit to @ColossalCreates
October 24, 2025 at 12:15 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
We made some NOISE today at the Legislature (Our House). We won't back down.
#AlbertaTeachers #ABEd #ABLeg #SupportPublicEducation
A selfie of Alec taken in front of the Alberta Legislature building 2025/Oct/23. He's wearing his folk fest hat, a red scarf with a button that reads "I stand for well-funded & accessible public education." You can see other demonstrators behind him, including a sign with a dumpster fire on it. A picture of the crowd of demonstrators in front of the Alberta Legislature 2025/Oct/23. Estimates had tens of thousands in red, holding signs, and supporting public education. Another angle of the crowd of demonstrators in front of the Alberta Legislature 2025/Oct/23. Estimates had tens of thousands in red, holding signs, and supporting public education.
October 24, 2025 at 12:04 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
We're gathering outside the Alberta Legislature (Our House) tomorrow afternoon. Meeting up at 13:30, program starting at 14:00.

Join us. Wear red. Bring people and signs and passion with you.

It's time to get loud in support of public education in Alberta.
#ABEd #AlbertaTeachers #ABleg
A digital poster entitled "Fight for Public Education" Includes red and white graphics drawing the eye towards an image taken with a drone of the Legislature building during the last public education rally. Date: October 23 (in red) Time: 2pm - 4pm (in white) Location: Legislature of Alberta (in red) Arrive between 1:30 - 2:00 pm (in white) Make some noise on the north steps during the speech from the throne! (in white) At the bottom of the poster, there are logos for the Edmonton Catholic and Edmonton Public Locals of the Alberta Teachers Association.
October 23, 2025 at 7:18 AM
smartalecw.bsky.social
A woman in black and white points to the black text, which reads "there is no plan to fix anything because the plan was to destroy everything."
October 22, 2025 at 4:36 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I'll be at the Legislature (probably early). If you're lucky enough to find me, I've got buttons that I've been working on giving away this week. Hit me up.
A pile of 30+ buttons/pins that Alec has made (and plans to give away). Each is different. Sayings include; "Education finding just keep pace with inflation and growth" "that helpful union guy" "Solidarity! Stand up together" "The union makes us strong" "Raise a little hell" "Introverted but willing to discuss workers' rights" "Proud to be union" "Fight for those without your privilege"
October 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
I'm going to miss the morning drive-time demonstration tomorrow. It's a pretty good way to start the day.
But we're inviting everyone to the Legislature tomorrow afternoon to support public education. Don't forget!

#AlbertaTeachers #ABEd #SupportPublicEducation
A picture of demonstrators in Edmonton at 112 Ave and Gretzky, taken the morning of 2025/Oct/22. Dozens of demonstrators march along the overpass, dressed in red, carrying signs and flags. A picture of demonstrators in Edmonton at 112 Ave and Gretzky, taken the morning of 2025/Oct/22. Dozens of demonstrators march along the overpass, dressed in red, carrying signs and flags. A picture of demonstrators in Edmonton at 112 Ave and Gretzky, taken the morning of 2025/Oct/22. Dozens of demonstrators march along the overpass, dressed in red, carrying signs and flags.
October 22, 2025 at 3:50 PM
smartalecw.bsky.social
On today's community walk for public education ... We were blessed with the presence of inflatable frog!
#SupportPublicEducation #AlbertaTeachers #ABEd #KidsCantWaitAB
A picture of demonstrators on the Gretzky overpass on 112 Ave. A red inflatable frog holds a sign that reads "honk for public education." Picture taken 2025/Oct/21.
October 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM