Local boards reopen schools as CUPE ends mass walkout
The anger and frustration on the picket lines turned to cautious optimism, and some relief in Barrie as the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (CUPE) agreed to end its mass walkout on Tuesday.
“I’m very happy about that, I love my job, and I’m there for the kids and students every single day,” said Anne Marie Weening, CUPE member. “I will continue to be there every single day as long as Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce work out a fair agreement and contract for us.”
The union representing 55,000 education workers across the province agreed to return to schools on Tuesday after Premier Doug Ford offered to rescind the legislation that made the strike illegal.
Last Thursday, the Premier and Education Minister Stephen Lecce passed legislation to impose a four-year contract on education workers banning them from striking.
Negotiations between the two parties have been at a standstill for over a week, but now Ford said he is willing to make a “fair deal” offering more help to lower-income workers.
“I would like to see that we would still be striking until a deal is reached. I don’t trust Ford and Lecce,” said Christine Reid, CUPE member. “I don’t trust the government, so until we reach a fair agreement, I just don’t trust them.”
Parents with school-aged children were forced to pivot to online learning Monday morning, but many school boards have confirmed students will return to in-person learning Tuesday.
The Simcoe County District School Board said Monday that all SCDSB schools, learning centres, and before and after school programs would fully reopen to students on Tuesday. All community use permits will resume on Tuesday as well.
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir and York Region District School Board have also said schools will be open for in-person learning starting Tuesday.
CUPE represents various employee groups at Ontario school boards, which include custodians, early childhood educators, education assistants and school administration staff.
CUPE wants an 11.7 per cent increase. Its members have been without a contract since August 31.
With files from CTV’s Catalina Gillies and Rob Cooper.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.