Sask. teachers' union launches defiant ad campaign amid contract talks

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) is launching an advertising campaign of its own after the Saskatchewan government started publicizing what it calls a "fair deal for teachers."

"Cuts to public education are leading to crowded classrooms that make it difficult for every student to see and learn and sometimes even limit the ability to move around the classroom," STF president Samantha Becotte said during a virtual news conference.

A video ad played during the news conference says "there are lots of things standing in the way of learning" as words such as "cuts" and "unmet needs" crowd the screen.

"As a parent and as a teacher, hard to see every day our kids struggling," Becotte said.

Last month, the Saskatchewan government started buying billboard and digital ad spaces, claiming teachers in the province earn $92,000 annually on average — a figure that the STF has refuted. The ads also touted a proposed seven per cent salary increase the government bargaining committee is proposing.

The teachers' union is also pushing for assurances regarding issues of classroom complexity, such as class sizes and student supports.

In July Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education told CTV News the provincial government supports the bargaining committee with funding "including for public notification and information related to bargaining."

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Becotte said the STF ads are not a direct response to a government campaign and had been in the works for "a while."

The launch of the union's new campaign comes the same day as the current contract between the teachers' union and the province expires.

Becotte said bargaining talks are currently on pause because the union is waiting for "additional information (from the government) on some claims that they had made that class sizes aren't significantly increasing."

"We are committed to engaging in those conversations in good faith, advocating for the best interests of teachers and students," Becotte said.