“If a school board determines that it cannot maintain the healthy and safe operation of schools in person, school boards must support students in an expeditious transition to distance education,” the memo, titled Labor Disruptions – Continued Contingency Planning, states. . On Wednesday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced it had given the mandatory five-day strike notice after renegotiations collapsed. The union said the two sides recently agreed to a 3.59 percent pay rise, but CUPE wants higher staffing levels and early childhood educators in every kindergarten classroom. To make the transition to distance education as seamless as possible, the ministry is asking school boards to take “immediate steps” to distribute devices and mobile WIFI to students who need it. “We are making this request to minimize disruption to students, parents and guardians should CUPE fail to reach an agreement and proceed with strike action.” The Department for Education said school boards can provide in-person learning, but only if they can ensure “student safety and continuity”. If a school plans to change its operating plans, the memo says students and parents must be notified by noon the day before. Already, several school boards across the province have announced they plan to close Monday if a strike occurs because they cannot ensure their institutions remain safe and clean without support staff. During this transition, the ministry says “special attention” must be given to “our most vulnerable children and those with special educational needs”. This includes ensuring that students who rely on Ontario’s breakfast programs have access to nutritious foods and that personal learning continues for students with special educational needs who cannot learn remotely.
AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE
While there appears to be little movement in negotiations between the Ontario government and the union, Education Minister Steven Lecce said he is optimistic the two sides will return to the table.
“We really hope that these discussions will continue. Today and in the coming days, we expect there to be discussions,” Lecce told CP24 Breakfast in an interview Thursday morning. “You know at the end of the day, despite the strike announcement, we can still have productive discussions at the table and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Workers and the government had returned to the table after a brief strike earlier this month. The strike ended when the Ford government agreed to repeal legislation that prohibited workers from striking and used the Petition Clause to prevent any constitutional challenges to their legislation.
The Ford government’s move sparked an outcry from labor groups and even prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call the move inappropriate.
“From the beginning, this negotiation was about chronically low wages for these workers, but it was also about services in schools,” CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn told CP24 on Thursday.
He said the jobs the union is fighting for must exist “so students have the support they need to succeed.”
Khan said the talks broke down again because “it’s hard to negotiate with yourself.”
“You know, the government basically said this is it, this is all we have. And you know, there was movement—they had to move because of the outpouring of support that was there because of their massive overreach with Bill 28, invoking the extension clause.
“This whole crisis that happened just a few weeks ago was unnecessary, just as what is happening now is unnecessary. There are resources available. The financial accountability officer says there is a budget surplus, there are ways the government could make these investments and really help schools that really help our children. And that’s really now the focus of the negotiations for us.”
For his part, Lecce said the government had done what was asked of it by repealing the law and agreeing to better wages, and he was disappointed that the union was striking again.
Lecce also said he believed compensation remained “the key fault” in the negotiations, despite CUPE’s insistence that it was no longer a major issue.
“We want to get kids on track and we want to support them to catch up, but it all starts with them going to school,” he said. “And that’s why I think we’re very disappointed by the union’s decision to go on strike again just weeks after the last one.”
Both sides see themselves as fighting for children in the labor dispute, but parents and children are left in the middle. Some school boards have said they are finalizing plans for virtual learning in case the strike continues Monday.
With files from Siobhan Morris of CTV News Toronto.
