Laurier Teachers Union

10/22/2026

10/22/2026

09/23/2026

Open to all schools across Canada, this education portal supports free, age-appropriate, education curriculums for students in grades 1-12. Registration is required.

09/23/2026

Message to all QPAT Members – 2026 QPAT Convention (October 15-16, 2026)

As you know, the 2026 Convention is fast approaching. We are looking forward to seeing you in
great numbers once again at the Hôtel Bonaventure in Montreal. As is the case every year, a
wide range of workshops are being offered which cater to teachers from all sectors. This year,
the program includes 70 regular in-person workshops, four of which will be offered in hybrid
mode, as well as eight exclusively online, two of which are being offered in French.
Furthermore, nine pre-convention all-day workshops will be offered on Thursday, October 15.
Important Information
● QPAT Convention is using Pheedloop: QPAT is using the Pheedloop platform for all
aspects of Convention, including:
○ Convention tickets
○ Registration for all-day pre-convention workshops
○ Information on regular in-person as well as online and hybrid workshops
○ Information on keynote speakers

Please use the link in comments below below to access Pheedloop.

● Hôtel Bonaventure Room Reservation: Rooms can be reserved using the Pheedloop
platform (QPAT group rate of $281.00/night) at the Hôtel Bonaventure. The deadline is
Monday, September 21. We are doing our best to negotiate an extension to the
deadline and will inform you as soon as it is confirmed.
● Pre-Convention Workshop Registration: Nine all-day workshops are being offered as
part of the pre-convention activities. Some workshops may have to be cancelled if the
number of registrations is insufficient, in which case participants will be informed and
given the opportunity to attend another workshop. Registration closes on Thursday,
October 1, which will allow time to reassign teachers to other workshops, if need be,
and advise presenters whose workshops have been cancelled. Please note that room

numbers for each workshop will be indicated at the hotel on a digital screen, and will
also be available to participants at the registration desk. New information will be
transmitted about additional pre-convention activities if workshops are added.
● Convention Tickets: Tickets can be obtained by accessing the Pheedloop platform
directly or by scanning the QR code displayed on the Convention posters distributed to
your school. You can also access the link via the QPAT website.
Upon completion of the registration process, your ticket will be generated featuring a
QR code and sent to you by email. Registration kiosks will be set up at the hotel for your
convenience and once your registration is processed (by scanning your QR code from
your device), your name tag will be printed automatically. Please note that tickets are
non-transferable.
● Online and Hybrid Workshops: While the majority of workshops are held in person,
there will be a selection of online and hybrid workshops this year. Participants will be
able to access these workshops directly through the Pheedloop platform, using the link
in the workshop’s description. Pre-registration is not required. The links will be posted a
few days prior to the Convention.
● Convention Social: A social event will be held at the Hôtel Bonaventure on Thursday
evening (October 15) following the keynote presentation. Additional Information will be
posted on the QPAT website prior to the Convention.
We hope that this year's Convention will be a great success for everyone who attends!

09/23/2026

🏫Cette semaine, on célèbre le personnel de soutien scolaire!
🤝Comme le personnel professionnel, le personnel de soutien fait partie de toutes ces personnes qui, souvent loin des projecteurs, contribuent chaque jour à ce que l’école fonctionne, que les services soient là et que les élèves puissent apprendre dans les meilleures conditions possibles.
Parce qu’une école, ça ne repose pas sur une seule catégorie de personnel. Ça fonctionne grâce à des métiers différents, complémentaires et indispensables.
Bonne Semaine nationale à toutes et tous les membres du personnel de soutien scolaire! ✊Solidarité à nos collègues de la Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ) ! 💙

09/14/2026

This hits on something many teachers have been saying for years.

The issue is not that teachers need endless new training programs. Most teachers already spend countless hours learning, adapting, and improving their practice.

The bigger question is this:

How much of a teacher's day is actually spent teaching?

Many teachers are juggling behavior management, paperwork, meetings, data collection, administrative tasks, parent communication, testing requirements, and responsibilities that barely existed a generation ago.

At the same time, schools continue to ask teachers to do more with the same number of hours.

Of course professional development matters. Education evolves, and teachers should continue learning.

But there comes a point where another workshop is not the solution.

Sometimes the most effective way to improve teaching is not to add something new.

It's to remove the things that get in the way.

Less paperwork.

Fewer unnecessary distractions.

Clearer expectations.

More classroom support.

More trust.

More time spent doing the thing teachers entered the profession to do in the first place: teach.

The best teachers don't need to be micromanaged into excellence. They need the time, space, and support to use the expertise they already have.

Trust teachers. Let them teach.

08/26/2026

OCTOBER 15 & 16, 2026
162ND ANNUAL TEACHERS’ CONVENTION
Catalyzing Connections or Deceiving Disinformation: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Everything
Dr. Phil McRae

Keynote Session Description:
The scope and speed of change that is coming with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is profound. It is expected that AI may reach human levels by around 2029, and by 2045 we will have multiplied our human biological intelligence a billion-fold. This session is intended to catalyze a discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of everything, including the profession of teaching. Dr. McRae will share key considerations in terms of issues of ethics, algorithmic bias, surveillance, trust, moral passivity, and cognitive atrophy from his work as Special Advisor on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) to the General Secretary of Education International (EI). He will also draw on his collaborations and learning from work with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.


Speaker Biography:
Dr. Phil McRae
www.philmcrae.com

Dr. Phil McRae is an internationally recognized thought leader and speaker focused on K–20 education, artificial intelligence, school improvement, technology-health-learning, and change in complex human systems. Dr. McRae also serves as Special Advisor on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) to the Secretary General of Education International, representing 33.5 million educators worldwide, and has contributed internationally as a delegate to the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) deliberations on the Future of Work.

By combining novel research and strategic foresight with keynote, advisory, and policy engagements on megatrends, societal change, and the future of education, he influences how individuals and systems navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. His global impact includes being invited as a speaker and panelist at the last three meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos, alongside engagements at the World Innovation Summit for Education and working with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), as the governing body of European football, around technology, loneliness, gambling and child health.

He is Executive Officer and Associate Coordinator (Government-Research) with the Alberta Teachers' Association, supporting 50,000 teachers, and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta, where he earned his Ph.D.

With more than three decades in education, he has held senior leadership roles across K–12, post-secondary, government, and the teaching profession, with experience living and working in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Spain, and Alberta, including Red Crow College with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation). He was honoured by the Blackfoot people in 1996 with the name Áípapomm (“lightning”).