Alberta’s government is investing $22 million in one-time funding to strengthen school safety through infrastructure upgrades and staff training.
The province said the funding follows what it called a tragic incident in Tumbler Ridge.
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“In response to the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, we are taking decisive action to strengthen school security and ensure staff are better prepared to respond in critical moments,” Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said.
“Safety cannot be an afterthought, and we will continue working closely with school boards to make sure they have the infrastructure, tools and training needed to protect students and staff when it matters most.”
Of the total funding, $20 million will go toward building security improvements and $2 million toward safety-related training for school staff.
Infrastructure funding will be distributed to eligible school boards based on student enrolment and will support upgrades such as locks, doors, security cameras, window coverings and related measures.
Training funding includes a one-time grant of $1.75 million to public school boards, with an additional $250,000 provided to the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta to deliver training for eligible independent school leaders.
The funding applies to public, separate, francophone, charter and accredited independent school authorities, with school authorities determining how the money is used.
The training funding is intended to help school authorities build on existing safety programs, including training additional school leaders or supporting recertification, with eligible training including trauma-informed practices, emergency preparedness, multidisciplinary response approaches and critical incident response.
School authorities will be required to report on how the funding is used, with an interim report due in November 2026 and a final report due in November 2027.
“Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) thanks government for this additional investment in the safety and well-being of Alberta students and staff,” said Alberta School Boards Association president Shali Baziuk.
“We appreciate that public, Catholic and francophone school boards, as voices of their local communities, will have the flexibility to determine how this funding is allocated to support safety, security and emergency preparedness.”
The province plans to introduce consistent provincial school safety standards for public, separate, francophone, charter and accredited independent school authorities in the coming months, with those standards expected to take effect next school year.
