TORONTO — Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education issued the following statement: “Our youngest learners in elementary schools need consistency in their lives. Our priority is to ensure children remain in class without disruption, with a focus on going ‘back to basics’ so students can master reading, writing and math skills.
“To deliver on our commitment to parents and provide stability in their lives, I am pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative central agreement with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). This agreement brings us one step closer to ensuring there will be no provincewide job actions or strikes in all English-language public schools for the next three years.
“This is another significant tentative deal that demonstrates our government’s relentless focus on stability and getting students ‘back to basics’ in the classroom. I urge the remaining teachers’ unions to end the delay and come to the table and sign an agreement that ensures every child in Ontario can learn without the threat of strikes over the next three years. The time is now to get this done.”
On background:
This agreement applies to more than 59,000 of ETFO’s members, including public elementary teachers and occasional teachers. A previous agreement was reached with ETFO education workers in October. We have also reached central agreements with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW). Additionally, an agreement on a process with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) teachers and education workers was reached that ensures no strikes throughout the school year.