Ontario’s high school teachers begin the strike vote process

Unions representing Ontario’s elementary and high school teachers are turning up the pressure on the Ford government.

Elementary teachers are taking strike votes this week and 60,000 high school teachers will soon be doing the same.

In its most recent press release, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) accused the Ford government of using delay tactics at the bargaining table.

Andrea Loken, local president for the teacher’s bargaining unit of OSSTF, says teachers across the province will be participating in a strike vote starting Oct. 15 and lasting until Nov. 15.

“It could include the withdrawal of specific services,” Loken told Global News. “It could mean a full walkout eventually.”

She went on to say that schools in the Limestone District School Board are already feeling the effects of provincial funding cuts and increased class sizes despite the board’s mitigation efforts.

“We’ve already seen student supports fall away, there aren’t as many student success sections, there aren’t as many guidance sections, we had 35 retirements and those teachers have not been replaced,” Loken said.

She said that smaller, focused or elective courses are most at risk, adding that whole departments won’t be able to run courses if the cuts continue.

“The government’s own documents now admit that their cuts will result in 10,000 teaching jobs lost in Ontario, meaning locally that’s one in four teachers,” Loken said.

Those numbers break down to 100 lost teaching positions in the Limestone District School Board, according to Loken.

“So I think at the bargaining table we absolutely have to maintain a staffing ratio of 22-to-1 to avoid job loss.”

The local bargaining president says she hopes the strike vote puts the needed pressure on the provincial government to reach an agreement.

Loken said she couldn’t speculate on if or when high school teachers may walk off the job but did confirm teachers all across the province will participate in the strike vote by Nov. 15.

When asked about a potential strike, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in an emailed statement that teachers walking off the job hurts children, especially the most vulnerable children in school.

“My message to our labour partners is to always put kids first, and continue to work with us in good faith to make sure kids remain in class each and every day.”