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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.