Classrooms across Alberta could go quiet on October 6 as 50,000 teachers prepare to strike after rejecting a government offer of 12% over four years. We cut through the spin: pay vs. working conditions, class sizes, and what “more teachers and EAs” actually changes for kids. We also unpack the government’s stopgap—$150 per child under 12, per week—and whether that helps real families scrambling for care or just buys political cover. Then we zoom out: how big strikes reshape public opinion, what usually ends them, and why tone matters (including a viral town-hall moment where a moderator told a teen his parents should “spank him”). Finally, we check in on a slow-burning healthcare procurement controversy and why promised “interim reports” rarely see the light of day.