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
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.