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- Summer 2016
- A Minister and his Guidelines
- Fall 2015
- The Guarantee of Catholic Education
The Doctrines of Hollow Rights and Permeation - Spring 2015
- Loyola High School and Religious Collective Rights in a Secular State
- Fall 2014
- “God Keep Our Land . . .”: Canadian Religious Pluralism and the Law
- Spring 2014
- Reasonable Limits in a Free and Democratic Society
- Fall 2013
- Freedom of Conscience and Religion
- Spring 2013
- Act 3, Scene 4
Legally Speaking - Spring 2013 - Fall 2012
- In This Corner... Human Rights Legislation and Catholic Education
- Spring 2012
- Bills, Thrills, and Chills
- Fall 2011
- IN MEDIAS RES
- Spring 2011
- Catholic and Public - Not An Oxymoron
Catholic and Public - Not An Oxymoron - Fall 2010
- ABC, 123, Existence AND Equity: Back to Basics
ABC, 123, Existence AND Equity: Back to Basics - Spring 2010
- Ask not what your country can do for you
What can you do for your Catholic schools? - Fall 2009
- Knock, Knock... Opening up the School Act
Proposed changes to the School Act - Spring 2009
- Here comes da Judge
Legal successes in Alberta's Catholic schools - Fall 2008
- Catholic Education: Hip to be square
Legal exploration of the distinctness of Catholic schools - Spring 2008
- The Santa Claus(e)
"Catholicity clause" in teacher contracts for Catholic school teachers - Fall 2007
- Repay to Caesar
Catholic school rights and responsibilities in regards to Canon Law and civil law - Spring 2007
- Behind every successful right
History behind the constitutional right of Catholic schools in Alberta Act, 1905. - Fall 2006
- One of these things is not like the others
Differences between Catholic school rights in each province in Canada - Spring 2006
- No representation without taxation
Education tax assessment base - Fall 2005
- Catholic school rights "North of 60"
Rights of Catholic schools in the Northwest Territories. - Spring 2005
- Long before Alberta was even a province
Constitutional establishment of Catholic schools in Alberta. - Fall 2004
- Teachers of faith – An expectation and a right
Role of the Catholic school teacher, constitutional expectations - Spring 2004
- Public meetings, public questions, public answers
Extending Catholic school districts through the expansion: pertinent questions. - Fall 2003
- Catholic impact in Commission report
Alberta’s Commission on Learning’s 1993 report: Alberta's first in-depth examination of its education system in more than thirty years. - Spring 2003
- Reconstitutionalizing the St. Paul Mosaic
An exploration of the history and contemporary issues facing Catholic schools in St. Paul, AB. - Fall 2002
- Responding to expansion requests
Extending Catholic school districts through the expansion. - Fall 2001
- Bill 16 contains a potpourri of risks and benefits for Catholic Education
Tax assessment (Bill 16) in Alberta and how it affects Catholic schools. - Spring 2001
- What Makes a Catholic School Catholic?
What makes Catholic schools distinct? - Fall 2000
- Can One Enjoy Both Francophone and Catholic Constitutional Rights?
An exploration of Francophone and Catholic constitutional rights. - Spring 2000
- What is the connection between Quebec Secession and Catholic school rights in Alberta?
The constitutional rights for Catholic education in Alberta. - Fall 1999
- Catholic school 4x4s died in 1913, why do they remain an administrative requirement?
A discussion of the 4x4 method of forming Catholic school districts.
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- Written by Levi Breederland
- Category: Uncategorised
The ACSTA's annual S.P.I.C.E. (Sharing Purpose in Catholic Education) Retreat brings together members of the Catholic school communities to collaborate and explore current issues in Catholic education.
Featured for Catholic School Teachers, Catholic School Staff, Curriculum Leaders, Catholic Trustees, Parents, Parish Priests, and Religious Leaders.
2025 SPICE Retreat
Thursday, May 1st - Sunday, May 4th
Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge
1 Centennial Drive, Kananaskis Village, Alberta T0L 2H0 Canada Phone: 403/591-7711 / Map and Directions
Speaker: David Wells
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- Written by Levi Breederland
- Category: Uncategorised
2024 ACSTA AGM & Convention
Friday, November 15th - Sunday, November 17th
The Westin Edmonton - 10135 100 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 0N7 - Convention and Conference Facilities Layout
2024 ACSTA AGM& Convention Program
The theme for this year’s AGM and Convention is “Faithful Stewardship", and will feature a lineup of keynote speakers who will address critical aspects of Catholic education and governance.
Justice Kevin Feehan will present a comprehensive overview of the constitutional protections for publicly funded Catholic education in Alberta and Canada, including historical and legal contexts.
Archbishop Richard Smith of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, will explore the vital role of good governance in achieving the mission of Catholic institutions.
Garnett Genuis, Member of Parliament, will provide a deep dive into Catholic policy leadership, offering valuable perspectives on how faith intersects with public policy.
Join us for these enlightening presentations that promise to enrich your understanding of faithful stewardship in Catholic education and governance!
Please Click Here to Register
Delegate Registration: $580.00
Companion (spouse) Registration: $290.00
Saturday Awards Banquet: $100.00
Delegate and Companion registration fee includes meals (excluding Saturday Awards Banquet), convention materials and refreshment breaks. Individual Saturday Awards banquet ticket is $100.00. All prices are GST exempt.
Please note that the 2024 ACSTA AGM & Convention Program Book will be available in an electronic version only. It will be emailed to you a week before the convention.
Cancellations:
Refund requests (minus a $100 processing fee per registration) must be in writing and received by ACSTA (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) no later than Friday, November 8, 2024.
Note:
If a confirmation email does not arrive to your inbox, please check your spam or junk email folder.
Terms and Conditions:
If you have any concerns about the information that is submitted through this form, please read the ACSTA Privacy Statement https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eDsQQr-RqK50qccqEcCEeqPbUKI0tE3X/view?usp=sharing. The registrant consents to the use of his/her image or likeness incidental to any transmission or reproduction of the event.
- ACSTA Awards (The deadline for submission is August 29, 2024.)
- In Memoriam (The deadline for submission is November 1, 2024.)
ACSTA Silent Auction to Support the CCSTA Toonies for Tuition Fundraising Campaign
The 2024 ACSTA AGM & Planning Committee is holding a silent auction at the ACSTA AGM & Convention Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 16, at the Westin Edmonton in support of the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association (CCSTA) Toonies for Tuition fundraising campaign.
- We would like to invite your school division to participate in this initiative. Here’s how you can help:
- We are hoping that each member board of the ACSTA contributes one item to the silent auction (feel free to donate more!) Please see the linked donation form. The form is also available on the ACSTA website
Approach vendors, school councils, parents, local businesses, and/or parishioners. A sample silent auction request letter is linked here.
Following are examples of some items that tend to sell well at silent auctions: bottle of liquor or wine, food baskets, coffee, electronics, sports memorabilia, tickets to a professional hockey game, home decor items, or gift cards. Please consider that this is a provincial meeting and as such we get people from all over and so sometimes items that are local to you – i.e., services at a hometown spa, or your favourite restaurant - may not work well at a province wide event unless it is from a chain with multiple locations.
Thank you in advance for your support. Together we can make a difference!
Please contact our office if you have any questions or concerns at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The guest room block is now open.
To obtain the special discounted rate, rooms must be reserved prior to Thursday, October 24, 2024. Reservation requests received after this date will be accepted on a space availability basis only and may be at a higher rate per night.
Please note that a limited number of rooms have been blocked for Thursday, November 14th for the Board of Directors, who will be attending the Board Orientation, which is taking place on Thursday, November 14th at 1:30 p.m.
Click here to book your group rate for Alberta Catholic School Trustees AGM
Please contact our office if you have any questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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ACSTA Awards 2024
Celebrating Excellence in Catholic Education
Award Categories
Life Membership
The Life Membership Award recognizes:
faithful commitment to Association business (allowing priority of time commitment to attend meetings and functions of the Association);
constant accomplishment of all special duties assigned to Directors (both in local communication in a public relations capacity for the Association, and in overall dedication to special assignments);
supportive and continuous service for Catholic education, as expressed through the Association; and
personal leadership on the Board of Directors, enabling the Association to progress and grow.
Eligibility: Must be a Past President of ACSTA
Honorary Life Membership
The Honorary Life Membership Award recognizes:
- An individual, other than a trustee, for their outstanding support for Catholic education in Alberta, Northwest Territories and/or Yukon.
Eligibility: The nominee may be any individual other than a Catholic School Trustee (e.g. Alberta Learning officials, school district superintendents, school-based personnel, and others) who has contributed to or provided support to Catholic Education in AB, NWT and/or Yukon in a significant way.
Long Service
This award honors trustees of member boards who have served for extended periods, acknowledging their dedication and longevity in Catholic education. It recognizes:
Service Milestones: 10, 15, 20 and 25 years service
Eligibility: Awards will be granted for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service deemed recognizable by the local board and the ACSTA Officers (President, Vice-President and Executive Director). The trustee must be nominated by a member board.
Meritorious Service
The Meritorious Service Award recognizes
- A Catholic school trustee for their outstanding service and dedication to Catholic education.
Eligibility: The nominee must be a Catholic school trustee serving on a member board of the Association. The nominee must be nominated by an ACSTA member board and/or an ACSTA Board of Director.
Appreciation
The Appreciation Award recognizes
- An individual, group or organization in appreciation of commitment and contribution to Catholic education in Alberta, Northwest Territories and/or Yukon.
Eligibility: The nominee may be an individual (other than a sitting trustee), group or organization. The individual can be nominated by an ACSTA member board and/or a ACSTA Board of Director.
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Current Legal Challenges to Alberta’s Catholic Separate Schools
Friday, September 28, 2018
Location: Wingate by Wyndham Calgary South Hotel
- Details
- Written by Levi Breederland
- Category: Uncategorised
Alberta Education and Governmental Stakeholders
Alberta MLA Contact Information
Alberta School Boards Association
Alberta School Councils' Association
Alberta Urban Municipalities Association
College of Alberta School Superintendents
Rural Municipalities of Alberta
Alberta Catholic Educational Stakeholders
Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta
Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local #54
Alberta Catholic Colleges/University
St. Joseph's College - University of Alberta
Canadian Catholic Educational Stakeholders
Canadian Catholic School Trustees' Association
Catholic Universities and Colleges in Canada
Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association
Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association
International Catholic Education Stakeholders
National Catholic Education Association
BIshops & Diocesan Offices
Archdiocese of Grouard - McLennan
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
Roman Catholic Diocese of Mackenzie - Fort Smith
Alberta Catholic Organizations
Catholic Women's League: Alberta - Mackenzie Provincial Council
Knights of Columbus: Alberta - Northwest Territories State Council
Catholic Media
Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)
Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Faith Development Links
Catholic Information Centre - "Catholics on the Net"
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- Category: Uncategorised
ACSTA Staff
Brendan Cavanagh, Executive Director
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ACSTA Office: 780-484-6209
Michelle Collett, Office Manager
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ACSTA Office: 780-484-6209
Charlotte Taillon, Communications Coordinator
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ACSTA Office: 780-484-6209
Lorraine Simi Chellakudam, Executive Assistant
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ACSTA Office: 780-484-6209
Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association
#205, 9940 - 106 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5K 2N2
Tel: (780) 484-6209 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: http://acsta.ab.ca
X: @ACSTANews
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACSTANews/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user50824673
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- Category: Uncategorised
Education property tax provides an integral connection between Catholic school boards and their electors.
Alberta Catholic Separate School - Constitutional Right To A Taxation Assessment Base:
A paper on education property tax by ACSTA legal counsel, Kevin Feehan.
School Support Declaration for the City of Edmonton
http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/education-property-tax-facts-and-information
Protecting our schools
Catholic schools fulfill an essential element in the mission of the Church, by offering formation of the whole person - academically, physically, socially and spiritually. In providing this formation, Catholic school boards have a commitment to ensuring a strong connection with Catholic electors in their communities.Catholic education is funded through education property taxes, grants and general provincial revenue. However, in the fall of 2005, a bill introduced in the Alberta Legislature to eliminate the education property tax raised concerns for Catholic school boards. The bill did not make it further than First Reading, but gained highly-publicized support from prominent individuals, as well as the provincial associations representing many of your locally elected town, county, municipal and city councils. With such support it is likely that the issue will rise again.As a Catholic elector, you need to be aware of your right to support your Catholic schools through your property taxes. The Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association (ACSTA) firmly believes that the education property tax provides a vital connection between Catholic separate school boards and you, their electors. Catholic boards requisition municipalities for education property taxes and do so for sound sociological, denominational and political reasons. When this discussion reaches your local community, speak out for your faith-based schools and your right to support them with your local taxes.
3 Critical reasons why Catholic separate boards requisition municipalities for education taxes:
- It recognizes and affirms the constitutional right of Catholic separate school boards to requisition municipalities for education taxes.
- Taxation is a vital connection between school boards and their electors. It serves as a means of accountability for school trustees to provide quality education to those in their local communities, including those without school-aged children.
- It provides a stable source of funding for public education and allows for a public declaration of support by electors for Catholic education.
Declare your support
Taxes declared in support of the Catholic separate school district in your municipality benefit your children. The Constitution Act of Canada and the Alberta School Act stipulate that individuals who are Catholic must direct their education taxes to Catholic separate school boards where they exist. If a property is jointly owned by two or more individuals of different denominations or faiths, the individuals must direct their taxes to the school boards in proportion to their ownership.To ensure your property taxes are supporting your Catholic separate school, you must declare your school support as "separate" on your annual property assessment notice and tax bill. If a declaration of school support is not filed by a property owner, the property assessment and tax bills show the school support going to the public school district. *If your support designation is incorrect, it should be corrected by completing and submitting a School Support Declaration form, obtained from your local city, town or municipal office. A change in school support does not take effect until the following calendar year. You may also contact ACSTA at (780) 484-6209 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will assist you in contacting your local Catholic school district for more information.*St. Paul ERD, Catholic support is designated "public."
ACSTA
The Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association (ACSTA) values the right of Catholic separate boards to requisition against the education property tax assessment base. This is an essential operation of Catholic separate boards and a vital link to their electors.ACSTA represents all Catholic separate, Catholic public and Catholic francophone school boards and corporations in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Our Catholic districts educate more than 180,000 students, about a third of the student population in Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon. We support the collaboration of family, school and parish in working to preserve and enhance the rights of Catholics to education based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Download the Taxation Brochure
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- Written by Levi Breederland
- Category: Uncategorised
Catholic schools are part of the dual system of public education in Alberta. They are publicly funded, and operate under the same provincial legislation (the Education Act) as non-denominational schools. They have been operating in Alberta since the 1840's, before Alberta became a province of Canada.
But what is unique about Catholic schools? The Declaration on Christian Education, published in 1965 following the Second Vatican Council, describes the purpose of a Catholic school as trying "to relate all of human culture to the good news of salvation, so that the light of faith will illumine everything that the students will gradually come to know about the world, about life, and about the human person." Parents, teachers, administrators, trustees, and the entire Catholic community are entrusted in this vital mission.
Parents are recognized as the primary educators of their children, and they choose how their children will be formally educated. Teachers play a crucial role in leading students to an understanding of the world which is illuminated by "the light of faith", and administrators create the environment in which this understanding takes place. The Catholic community is involved through local parishes, which work closely with schools in areas such as sacramental preparation; individually, through the allocation of property taxes; and through the Church, represented by the local Bishop, who is responsible for approving the religious education program taught in the school.
Catholic trustees have a significant role within this partnership. They oversee the operation of their local school district on behalf of the provincial government, and on behalf of the Catholic community who elect them. As such, they are both political and faith leaders in their communities. To support trustees in this unique role, and provide an opportunity to discuss and report on issues significant to Catholic education across the province, the ACSTA was formed in 1966.
As an incorporated society, the ACSTA operates under a set of objectives, and is guided by a mission statement which is developed and approved by the membership.
Today, the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association (ACSTA) represents all 24 Catholic anglophone and francophone school boards, and 153 trustees, who in turn serve more than 183,500 students in 450 Catholic schools. Our membership includes the Catholic districts of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory and Lloydminster, which is designated as both an Alberta and Saskatchewan jurisdiction. The non-denominational St. Paul Education Regional Division is also a member of ACSTA.
