Toronto Catholic school board to close if education workers strike

Toronto’s Catholic school board will shut Friday if education workers proceed with strike action, parents have been warned.

In a letter sent Sunday, the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) told parents it will be forced to close classrooms if a strike takes place.

The letter, shared by the board with Global News, said that without education workers schools will be forced to close to “ensure the health, welfare and safety of our students and staff.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 55,000 education support workers, served the government a formal notice on Sunday that a “full withdrawal of services” will take place on Nov. 4 if the two sides can’t agree on a new contract.

The workers represented by CUPE at TCDSB include education assistants, caretakers, school secretaries, international language instructors and technical staff.

“CUPE staff provide critical supports to students and ensure our schools operate safely,” the letter said.

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A strike on Friday could still be averted and union and Ministry of Education officials will meet in last ditch talks. CUPE will be in a legal strike position on Nov. 3.

Two additional days of discussions have been scheduled by a third-party mediator, giving CUPE and the Ford government a total of three opportunities to hash out a new contract.

“Those are really important dates. We want to make sure we’re using those three dates to best of our advantage, to make sure we’re at the table and talking and getting a real deal.”

Under provincial collective bargaining laws, the union is required to give employers five days of notice before walking off the job. That notice was given on Sunday morning.

2:28 CUPE members protest outside PC event at Toronto Congress Centre

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said the province is “not giving up on a deal that protects in-person learning for kids.”

TCDSB said the news “may be the source of stress among families and their children, particularly after the circumstances during the pandemic,” but noted it does not control the strike discussions.

The board also said it was working on a contingency plan to provide parents with childcare options.

— With files from Global News’ Colin D’Mello