Tentative deal reached by Catholic teachers

45,000 English high school and elementary staff to vote on two-year extension

Ontario’s English Catholic teachers have agreed to a tentative two-year contract extension, as the province’s public elementary and high school teachers remain at the bargaining table.

The deal, announced Friday, is the fourth for the government, after agreements with L’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), which represents French teachers, and school staff who fall under the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Educational Workers’ Alliance of Ontario. Among school staff, the only union without a deal is the Ontario Coalition of Education Workers.

The Catholic teachers’ deal extends the current agreement — which was to expire this year, like all other unions — to August 2019.

“Our goal with respect to any collective agreement is an agreement that promotes stability in the sector.” MITZIE HUNTER EDUCATION MINISTER

“This agreement is in the best interests of teachers and their students,” Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association president Ann Hawkins said in a written statement. She added that no details would be released until the deal is ratified by the union’s 45,000 members.

The government has been keen to reach such deals to keep peace in the education sector, which has been rocked by unrest in previous rounds of collective bargaining.

“We have entered into discussions with our education partners to build upon the gains we’ve made in Ontario’s publicly funded education system and to continue to give students the best educational experience possible,” said Education Minister Mitzie Hunter in a statement.

“Our goal with respect to any collective agreement is an agreement that promotes stability in the sector, is consistent with our fiscal plan and achieves positive results for students and for those who work in the education system.”

Talks continue between the government and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.