THUNDER BAY – The large majority of Thunder Bay schools were closed today as Ontario’s teachers’ unions escalate strike actions against the province. Teachers on local picket lines say the one-day strikes will continue until the Ford government adjusts its position on key issues like classroom size and support for special needs students.
All elementary and secondary schools in the Lakehead District School Board and Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board were closed due to strikes by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) and Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), which also represents support staff at elementary schools.
Strikes by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will also close elementary schools in the Lakehead board on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hundreds of teachers and other education workers joined actions at schools across the city Tuesday. Strikers relied on hot drinks, heaters, and constant movement to stay warm in temperatures that dipped below -20 C with the wind chill.
Lou Kok, a technology teacher at Hammarskjold high school and OSSTF strike captain, said despite the unfavourable weather, the mood was positive and determined on the picket line outside of his school.
“There’s good spirits, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy to be here – we’d rather have education going on as normal,” he said. “All of us want to be working with kids and making a difference in their lives, that’s what we do everyday.”
Kok said the public has largely been supportive.
“They know, especially those with kids in the system – they don’t want to see a degrading of the public education system,” he said.
At St. Bernard elementary, Aldo Grillo was on the line with about 50 of his colleagues. The President of OECTA’s Thunder Bay elementary unit, Grillo says the strikes are an unfortunate but necessary step to protect the quality of the province’s education system. He believes most Ontarians understand that.
“I’s important,” he says. “The changes to the classroom will be felt for many years to come, if bargaining doesn’t go the right way. Certainly parents have been very supportive, and I hope this sends a message – the teachers, the support workers – everybody’s out here for what’s best in the classroom.”
The ETFO met with the province for three days of bargaining last week, but talks broke off on Friday night. The union says it will hold two strike days per week at each board going forward.
All four major teachers’ unions in Ontario are engaged in job actions, and have been without a contract since August.
