Union says province has to have an 'official' plan in place for schools
The Ontario School Board Council of Unions is travelling the province, meeting with local leaders and calling on Stephen Lecce, the Minister of Education, to do more before September.
As it stands now, President Laura Walton said there is no official plan for returning to school this fall. And that has many people concerned, including her members within CUPE.
"We're talking to members and leaders about what's going on," said Walton. "How are they feeling about going back, especially in light of no plan being proposed at this point by the ministry? But also where are they heading -- we're about a year out from bargaining."
Concerns include how kindergarten will be handled this year, she said.
"Many of them are unsure about what they're going to be doing and that has a ripple effect on our membership, as well, because the less students there are, there's an opportunity that we may see less jobs as well," she said.
"We've heard from this minister that everything is going to be A-OK, but just looking at his track record, we know that it's not going to be A-OK. We have seen nothing but chaos since this pandemic broke out. One week they're saying schools are fine, 'schools are safe. And then the next week, it's oops, we're closed again."
After seeing Lecce reach out to local public health officers but not reach out to them, the union decided to start a campaign in which they would reach out to public health, as well.
They're hoping to be on the radar of the minister when the next decisions are made.
Charity Sedore is president of CUPE Local 1369, a custodial union that works under the Sudbury Catholic School Board.
Sedore, also a mom, is hoping students return to class this fall.
"The schools need to be made safer, they need to be putting the funding into the schools to make sure we can go back in September and stay in the schools for the entire year," she said.
Sedore said she's not concerned not only for her team, but also the kids who will be entering school buildings.
"The answer needs to be the funding and the funding needs to go to more manpower and it needs to go to the ventilation and we need to make sure we have adequate -- even a provincial cleaning standard would be something," she said.
CTV News reached out to Lecce, who was unavailable for comment. But his spokesperson, Caitlyn Clark, released the following statement:
"We will continue to work with Ontario’s chief medical officer of health to get all students back to in-person learning this September, supported by rising vaccine rates and $1.6 billion in resources to continue to keep schools safe.
"As part of our plan, and as recommended by Ontario’s Science Table, all students aged 12 and over and education workers are prioritized for double vaccination prior to September and significant investments have been made to improve air ventilation in 100 per cent of schools. We will continue to invest and continue to keep schools safe, following the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health."
After the Sudbury stop, Walton's tour of northern Ontario continues in North Bay and Timmins.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.