Ontario memo orders school boards to return to normal Tuesday as CUPE workers end action

The province has ordered Ontario’s school boards to return to normal Tuesday morning as union education workers end their job action.

A Ministry of Education memo sent to school boards, and obtained by Global News, orders schools to “immediately” communicate to parents that classrooms will return to normal.

The order came after the Ford government promised to rescind its controversial Bill 28, if unionized education workers returned to work as soon as possible.

“Following an invitation from the government to return to the bargaining table, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) education staff have agreed that they will return to work on November 8, 2022,” the memo said.

CUPE and the Ford government have been in an escalating standoff over failed contract negotiation talks since the union issued its five-day strike notice to the government on Oct. 30.

The province responded by tabling legislation — Bill 28 — that imposed a contract on workers and outlawed any strike action by union members.

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On Monday morning, Ford promised to repeal that bill if the union ended job action that saw CUPE members refuse to attend work on both Friday and Monday.

The two sides agreed, and CUPE said its bargaining team would return to work and the negotiating table on Tuesday.

In its memo, the province said the return of CUPE workers Tuesday meant all boards were to “resume regular school operations tomorrow, and support students with a return to a normal learning experience.”

Various school activities, such as permits for use of school property and child care, are also to return to normal, the memo said.

Several GTA school boards, including Toronto, York and Durham, have already announced in-person learning will resume Tuesday.

“The ministry appreciates the efforts and work of all school boards with your recent contingency planning efforts, including transitions to remote learning,” the memo said.