{"id":265641,"date":"2025-09-30T04:49:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T04:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/265641\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T04:49:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T04:49:13","slug":"alberta-businesses-pivot-as-looming-teacher-strike-cancels-field-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/265641\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta businesses pivot as looming teacher strike cancels field trips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hanging in the balance of the Alberta teachers\u2019 vote<\/a> and potential strike is the future of not only educators, children and their parents \u2014 but also small local businesses who rely on field trips every fall.<\/p>\n

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Tam Andersen is the director of Prairie Gardens<\/a> in Sturgeon County, just north of Edmonton.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might expect 5,000 to 10,000 students over the course of the season, so it\u2019s a very big part of our core business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe get kids driving in on buses from up to two to three hours away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On Monday, the farm was crawling with children \u2014 many of them on field trips that have been rescheduled in an attempt to avoid potential strike dates.<\/p>\n

At Prairie Gardens, each child not only learns where food comes from, but they also bring home a pumpkin.<\/p>\n

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At #PrairieGardens<\/a> north of #yeg<\/a> \u2013 they see 5-10 THOUSAND kids come through each fall. They all learn about where food comes from and take home pumpkins. With a potential teacher\u2019s strike, they\u2019re preparing to pivot, offering homeschooling tours for parents to help kids learn. pic.twitter.com\/cz1isTEISE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sarah Ryan (@SarahRyanYEG) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If the teachers walk off the job on Oct. 6, Andersen will have a lot of extra pumpkins to sell \u2014 and she\u2019ll also need an alternate revenue source.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve pivoted many times, had some practice doing that in the last few years.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe find every time one door closes, another one opens. We\u2019re trying not to be stressed out about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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To that end, she\u2019s come up with a plan B \u2014 offering homeschooling farm tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll give some coaching to the parents on how to lead their group through the farm. Then all our tour guides, instead of doing individual tours, they\u2019re posted at stations so they can answer your questions,\u201d Andersen explained.<\/p>\n

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Fitset Ninja<\/a> in Edmonton is in a similar boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a lot of cases the school administration is just like, \u2018Cancel for now and once we have more information on our end we\u2019ll rebook.\u2019 We just have to kind of go with that,\u201d explained CEO Tim Gourlay.<\/p>\n

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At #FitSetNinja<\/a> they\u2019re also working on a plan B to field trips that includes day camps. For them, that will be critical in allowing their staff to continue to have full-time work if schools close down. #yeg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VsGmxFyNlS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sarah Ryan (@SarahRyanYEG) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The indoor obstacle course derives a lot of its interest in memberships from interactions through schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how a lot of people first hear of Fitset Ninja,\u201d Gourlay said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not ideal, that\u2019s for sure. 30 to 35 per cent of our revenue is school field trips and mobile obstacle courses to schools.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a little stressful, just the uncertainty of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Trying to ensure there\u2019s enough work for their coaches during the day, Fitset Ninja is preparing to offer day camps if teachers go on strike.<\/p>\n

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