Ontario teachers without new contract as talks between province and unions stall

Ontario teachers are heading back to the classroom without a new contract, as talks between the province and several major education unions have stalled over what can be negotiated at the central table and what is decided locally.

Ontario’s major education unions went into contract talks hoping to avoid a repeat of past labour disruptions. However, with current agreements set to expire Aug. 31, bargaining has stalled over a procedural fight.

That means when kids go back to school in just a few weeks, the province’s teachers will be without a contract.

“We’re not sure as to why they’re so desperate and intent on delaying this process,” said David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. “But our schools are hurting right now, our kids are struggling, educators are struggling as well.”

The current dispute centres on which issues should be negotiated at the provincial table and which should be left to individual school boards.

Ontario’s primary and secondary school teachers’ unions say they remain ready to bargain.

“We put a call to the government to start bargaining March 2,” said Martha Hradowy, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. “The minister denied that request. We have made ourselves available every single day; prepared, ready to discuss the substantive issues that are in front of us.”

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation says issues like staff transfers and surplus are shaped by the needs of individual school boards and shouldn’t be centralized at Queen’s Park.

“There are democratic structures that exist at the federal, at the provincial and at the local level that understand that you can’t just make decisions in Ottawa for all of Canada. You can’t just make decisions in Queen’s Park for all of Ontario,” Mastin said.

“The government, in my view, is wanting to move all of those items to the minister’s office — items that we have traditionally dealt with locally since 2014,” Hradowy said. “And it’s a concerning pattern.”

The Ontario Labour Relations Board is now involved.

The teachers’ unions CHCH News spoke with say they want to avoid any possible disruption for students.

In the meantime, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association is the only major union still engaged in bargaining.