SUDBURY -- As part of ongoing job action, education workers with Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation are back on the picket line affecting some schools in northern Ontario.
Union members in Sudbury and Timmins are joining others from across the province in the newest round of rotating strikes.
They are protesting the changes being proposed by the Ford government with respect to class sizes, online education, among other issues.
This is the fifth planned strike by union members in the province since December after talks with the Ministry of Education broke down.
Union members say not much has changed.
Eric Laberge is the OSSTF District 3 president. He says morale amongst his members is high despite the stall in negotiations.
“The fact that they are rotating makes them more manageable for all our members and the point that we’re going to stop clearly is when we have a negotiated settlement,” said Laberge.
(Members of OSSTF picketing outside Chelmsford Valley District Composite School Jan. 15, 2020.Dana Roberts/CTV Northern Ontario)
OSSTF Vice-President Paul Caccamo joined people on the picket lines in Sudbury Wednesday.
Caccamo says he does not believe the provincial government understands the issues at hand.
"The level of staffing on the teacher side and the support staff side is significantly lower than it was last year. We’ve said to them restore staffing levels to your schools and these types of job actions will end and we can get back to the table and hammer out a resolution to some of the smaller issues like compensation," said Caccamo.
(Members of OSSTF picketing outside Chelmsford Valley District Composite School Jan. 15, 2020.Dana Roberts/CTV Northern Ontario)
"I’m hoping with the other unions getting on board and going out and getting some work-to-rule going, that we start seeing some movement from the government," said Tomara Kaye, teacher and local union president at Timmins High and Vocational School.
(Education worker picket line in Timmins. Jan. 15, 2020. Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)
Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas says most of her constituents that have reached out are concerned.
Gelinas adds that online classes remain a contentious issue, as many people in rural communities feel they will be left out.
"They are worried about what it will mean. Think about it. People who live in Whitefish, Cartier, Onaping, all of them have a really tough time getting onto the internet. When they are told that their kids will be forced to be learning through the internet, this is a non-starter for them. We can’t even get cell service. We can’t even get a decent internet provider. How are those children supposed to learn?" said Gelinas.
(Education workers picket on Main Street in Val Caron. Jan. 15, 2020. Dana Roberts/CTV Northern Ontario)
Schools in both Sudbury and Timmins are affected in this round:
- Rainbow District School Board - grades 9 to 12
- District School Board Ontario Northeast - all schools
- Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières - all schools
- Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon - all schools closed in Sudbury and Manitoulin
(Education support staff out picketing on Barrydown Road Jan. 15, 2020. Chelsea Papineau/CTV Northern Ontario)
Sudbury police say drivers should expect delays from 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m. Jan. 15 near picket lines expected at:
- Chelmsford Valley District Composite School
- Confederation Secondary School
- Lively District Secondary School
- Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
- Lasalle Secondary School
- Lockerby Composite School
- Sudbury Secondary School
- École secondaire du Sacré-Coeur
- École Jean-Paul II
Rainbow school board officials say extra curricular activites, field trips, school events and co-operative education placements for high school students will also be cancelled, but dual credits at Cambrian College will continue.
Classes Grade 7 and 8 programs at the following Sudbury schools will continue as normal:
- Chelmsford Valley District Composite School
- Confederation Secondary School
- Lively District Secondary School
- Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
More on this developing story to come....
