Dear folks,
Just a quick note of update on the ALHI project about commemorating the 1926 recall election that preserved publicly provided textbooks for Calgary students.
We are nearing the printing stage of 10 pop-up banners (small sneak peak image below) that tell the story of how the working people of Calgary were able to organize to overturn the decision of the school board to charge for textbooks for kids in grades 4 to 8 by organizing the first recall campaign in Alberta history and winning. As one of the standard bearers for labour, Amelia Turner put it later, “What my labor colleagues and I tried to do was, briefly, to put the welfare of our children ahead of any concern about taxes.” Thanks to the design work of Karen Mills and the research of Stephanie Weber, Tom Langford and myself, I think it is going to be a really effective display.
The banners are going to have their debut at the Calgary Public Library 27 July at a talk I’m giving on this subject for Historic Calgary Week on this subject. It would be great to see some friendly faces there and I would appreciate you sharing the below link with anyone you think might be interested:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/recall-1926-democracy-and-public-education-in-calgary-tickets-1991999778962?aff=oddtdtcreator
I hope to get the banners into libraries, high schools, and universities over the course of the autumn — any suggestions or contacts about possible venues for display would be most welcome.
Hope this finds each of you well and all best,
Kirk
Canada Day is the national day of Canada, celebrated annually on July 1st. It marks the Anniversary of Confederation in 1867, when the British North America Act united the three separate colonies of Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single dominion.
Learn more about Canada Day
Canadian Multiculturalism Day is celebrated annually on June 27 to honor the diverse cultural communities that make up Canada’s population. It highlights the country’s commitment to inclusivity, equity, and mutual respect while recognizing the contributions of different ethnic groups to Canadian society.
Learn more about Canadian Multiculturalism Day
At the event organized by the Alberta Federation of Labor
People in Canada celebrate National Indigenous History Month every June. A great opportunity to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples, to learn about their histories, cultures and ways of life.
Learn more about National Indigenous History Month
The union representing 12,000 education workers in Alberta says a new report calling for additional classroom support is stating the obvious.
“There’s nothing new in this ‘new’ roadmap. We all know we need more staff in classrooms, and the UCP needs to make it happen,” said CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal.
“The issue of classroom complexity isn’t all that complex. We need more staff, not more reports.”
Uppal said the strike by education support staff last winter and the teachers’ strike last month were caused by UCP budget cuts.
“Alberta has had the lowest education funding levels in Canada for years,” said Uppal. “They keep promising more staff, and then they keep failing to deliver.”
Uppal says the government’s promise of 1,500 new Educational Assistants is about half of what is needed to catch up to 2019 levels.
“We all know we need more staff in classrooms, and we all knew it back in 2023 when more staff were promised. The UCP needs to make it happen.”