Thunder Bay's public elementary schools will be closed this Thursday, Jan. 23 as local teachers join others across the province this week in rolling one-day strikes. The Lakehead District School Board (LDSB) is one of four across the province to be hit with the work action on Thursday, announced Saturday.
Elementary schools in the Superior-Greenstone board will be closed on Tuesday for the same reason.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario had warned earlier this month if the province did not address critical issues in ongoing contract talks, it would begin the actions on Jan. 20. The union is reportedly seeking more support for special needs students, protection of full-day kindergarten, class size guarantees, and a higher wage increase than the 1 per cent the province has offered.
Lakehead elementary schools will not reopen until the following Monday, due to a PA day on Friday, Jan. 24. The Lakehead Adult Education Centre will remain open during the strike.
The provincial government has announced parents affected by the strikes will be eligible for up to $60 per day to help defray childcare costs. Applications for the funding can be made through a government website.
The province's other three major teachers' unions are also taking job actions over contract disputes with the Ford government. It's the first time the province has been in that position in over two decades.
