The Ontario government is attempting to close an ugly round of bargaining as it restarts talks with the only remaining teachers' union without a contract, and an expert says the COVID-19 pandemic may create a path to labour peace.

Ontario has reached tentative contract agreements with the unions representing the province's 12,000 French-language teachers and 83,000 elementary teachers.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario is set to resume contract talks with Premier Doug Ford's government today.

In previous talks earlier this year, ETFO said it was close to an agreement on several key issues, but that the government negotiators changed positions at the last minute.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford levelled the criticism at the province's four major teachers' unions during debate at the provincial legislature Thursday morning as educators protested the contentious talks.

The strike by Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) is set to coincide with a province-wide strike by Ontario's Catholic school teachers and a rotating strike by Ontario's high school teachers.

With much of southern Ontario under a winter storm warning, AEFO has cancelled a province-wide strike set for Thursday.

Friday was the first time since 1997 that teachers and education workers from all four unions have striked on the same day.

Roughly 20,000 teachers and education workers picketed along a 30 km stretch in Peel Region Friday in what that the unions call the longest picket line ever in the region.

The city and several local groups and organizations have lined up day camps and programs to help out parents on Friday.