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Which Ontario school boards will be open and closed as CUPE workers strike

Click to play video: 'Ontario families make childcare plans during school closure'
Ontario families make childcare plans during school closure
WATCH: Ontario families make childcare plans during school closure – Nov 4, 2022

The following list will be updated as more information becomes available.

Fifty-five-thousand education workers walked off the job on Friday after mediated talks with the Ontario government ended without a deal.

The mediator for talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario government called off the negotiations Thursday afternoon, saying the two parties remained too far apart.

CUPE said its 55,000 education workers, custodians and early childhood educators walked off the job on Friday.

What’s more, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s 8,000 education workers followed suit, in solidarity with CUPE employees.

Click to play video: 'Parents prepare for school closures ahead of strike action'
Parents prepare for school closures ahead of strike action

The labour action forced several school boards to close their schools on Friday.

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Here’s a closer look at what will be open and closed across Ontario in the coming days as a result of the strike:

TORONTO AREA

The Toronto District School Board closed its schools on Friday. In an update, the board said its shools would remain closed to in-person student learning if the strike action continues next week. TDSB said students will “begin transitioning to synchronous (live, interactive) learning early next week” if the labour action continues.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board said its schools will be closed to students for in-person learning beginning on Friday if CUPE employees withdraw their services. The board said teachers will “communicate lessons and expectations via their Google Classroom portals or by providing learning materials for students to take home with them on Thursday.”

The York Region District School Board said its schools will be closed to students “until CUPE has reached an agreement with the province.” The board said for now, its students will “learn remotely.”

The York Catholic District School Board announced Thursday that its schools will be closed to students on Friday, and said it will provide an update to families on Sunday regarding “what to expect for classes next week.”

Click to play video: 'Toronto-area school boards announce closures ahead of Friday CUPE strike'
Toronto-area school boards announce closures ahead of Friday CUPE strike

The Durham District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said if labour disruption continues into next week, all of its schools will remain closed to in-person learning.

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The Durham Catholic District School Board said unless a negotiated deal is reached before Friday, the board’s schools will be closed to all students.

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In a letter to families, the Peel District School Board said its schools are closed on Friday, and that students will continue asynchronous remote learning on Monday. The board said if the labour action extends beyond Monday, the board will transition to synchronous learning beginning Tuesday.

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board said its schools are closed on Friday.

BARRIE AREA

In an update on Friday, the Simcoe County District School Board said all of its schools, learning centres and before and after school programs will be closed to students from Nov. 7 to Nov. 11.

The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board closed its schools on Friday. In an update, the board said its schools will remain closed on Monday “unless an agreement is reached over the weekend.” The board said the closure of schools “will remain in place as long as custodial staff are withdrawing their service.”

The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board closed its schools on Friday. In a letter to parents on Thursday, the board said staff will be “preparing their lesson plans in order to begin remote learning” on Monday.

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The Bluewater District School Board said its schools will remain open to students and staff on Friday and Monday.

KITCHENER

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has said it will be forced to close its schools on Friday and announced that they would be moving to remote learning due to the job action.

The Waterloo Region District School Board said it does not have any employees that are members of the CUPE bargaining group of OPSEU education workers. The board said the protest will “not impact the day-to-day experience of WRDSB students at school or their transportation,” adding that students “will continue to be supported in all aspects of their learning.”

Click to play video: 'CUPE shouts ‘shame’ as Ontario government votes to impose contract on education workers'
CUPE shouts ‘shame’ as Ontario government votes to impose contract on education workers

GUELPH

The Wellington Catholic District School Board said its schools and before and after school programs would remain open on Friday. However, the board said if there is an “ongoing withdrawal of services by CUPE staff beyond Friday,” that it “may be necessary to close schools during the following week due to health and safety conditions in schools.”

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The Upper Grand District School Board kept its schools open on Friday, but said it would “begin shifting schools to remote learning early next week.”  The board said its schools would be open to in-person learning on Monday. On Tuesday, secondary schools would shift to remote learning. Elementary schools would shift to remote learning on Wednesday.

LONDON

The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) closed its schools on Friday.

The London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) also closed its schools to students on Friday.

Click to play video: 'Negotiations end without a deal as CUPE heads for Friday strike'
Negotiations end without a deal as CUPE heads for Friday strike

HAMILTON & NIAGARA

The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board closed its schools to in-person learning on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) kept its schools open on Friday.

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The District School Board of Niagara closed its schools on Friday. The board said if CUPE members return to work on Monday, its schools would be open to in-person learning. However, the board said if CUPE members continue to withdraw their services, its schools would remain closed, but said teachers would provide “remote learning opportunities to students.”

The Niagara Catholic District School Board said its schools would be closed on Friday.

The Halton Catholic District School Board closed its schools on Friday.

The Halton District School Board did not close its schools on Friday. However, in an update, the board said if the CUPE walkout extends beyond Friday, its elementary schools would alternate between in-person and remote learning. “This would mean that elementary students would learn remotely (independently) on Monday,” the board said.

The board said its secondary schools will remain open for in-person learning for all students, each day.

OTTAWA AREA

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board told Global News none of its workers were represented by CUPE and said its school would be open as normal.

The Ottawa Catholic District School Board, moved to remote learning on Friday. The board said if the strike continues on Monday, educators will “follow the regular school schedule online. The board said remote learning will continue “as long as a strike/political protest occurs.”

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The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario said all board schools were closed on Friday.

PETERBOROUGH AREA

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said they will remain closed to in-person learning on Monday “and until further notice” as the strike continues. The board said students will “continue to learn remotely from home.”

Similarly, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said the closures would continue on Monday.

The Trillium Lakelands District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said if strike action continues, if no resolution is made before Monday, students would be provided with asynchronous work from their teachers on an online classroom.

KINGSTON AREA

The Limestone District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said it anticipates its buildings will remain closed on Monday, if the strike action continues. The board said teachers will provide students with asynchronous learning tasks.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Renfrew County District School Board said asynchronous learning would take place Friday and Monday if an agreement was not reached. Live, remote teaching would begin Tuesday, the board said.

The Renfrew County Catholic District School Board kept classrooms open Friday but said “if labour action continues into next week, the board will convert schools to remote learning.”

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The Upper Canada District School Board closed its schools on Friday and said it would begin online learning on Monday “if needed.

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