740,000 Alberta students resume school amid red shirts, red-rimmed eyes following ATA strike

More than 740,000 Alberta students returned to school after a 16-day ATA strike. Classes resumed following Premier Danielle Smiths use of the Charter notwithstanding clause to compel 51,000 teachers back to work at public, separate, and francophone schools. Parents and children greeted teachers with red shirts and supportive signs, while students faced crowded classrooms and disrupted schedules. Alberta unions criticised the clause, pledging to contest its use, and school boards warned of potential exam and activity adjustments.