Schools may close as of Monday

Boards tell parents to find child care if no deal reached, CUPE workers end up going on strike

Peterborough’s public and Catholic schools will close Monday if a deal isn’t reached between the province and school support staff workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board both confirmed Thursday that elementary and high schools will close Monday in the event of a strike.

“We do not believe we can provide safe and secure learning environments for all students in the event of a full CUPE strike,” public board education director Jennifer Leclerc and board chairperson Diane Lloyd said in a joint statement.

CUPE, the province and trustee associations are negotiating a contract for educational assistants, office staff, custodians and other non-teaching staff. CUPE began a work-to-rule campaign this week and plans to strike Monday if a deal isn’t reached. Talks resume Friday.

The Catholic board employs about 800 CUPE members.

“The board has determined that we cannot safely operate our schools for students during a full CUPE strike,” states a release Thursday from the Catholic board.

“While we remain hopeful that negotiations this week will be successful and a strike can be averted, we encourage families to make alternate child-care arrangements for next week, beginning Monday.”

The French Catholic school board said Wednesday that Ecole Monseigneur-Jamot in Peterborough would stay open in the event of a strike, but students would have no outdoor gym classes and would have to bring home their lunch garbage. The board is also advising parents to make alternative child-care arrangements.

The Trillium Lakelands District School Board, which runs public schools in the City of Kawartha Lakes, said Thursday that talks on contingency plans in the event of a strike are ongoing; no decision has been made on whether to close schools Monday. The board is also telling parents to make alternate child-care plans.

Other Ontario school boards that have announced schools will close Monday in the event of a strike include: Toronto District School Board, York Region District School Board, Peel District School Board, St. Clair Catholic District School Board, Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, and Ottawa Catholic School Board.

Workers across the province authorized their negotiating committee to take strike action in votes taken last month to back up their contract demands. Their previous contracts expired Aug. 31.

The government and school boards have said high rates of worker absenteeism remain unresolved, while the union has said the impact of government cuts on workers must be addressed. Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith and Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott would not comment on the situation Thursday.

A spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government is ready to continue the contract talks.

“We will be at the bargaining table all weekend to endeavour to get a deal that keeps students in the classroom,” Alexandra Adamo said in a statement.

— with files from Shawn Jeffords,

The Canadian Press; Taylor Clysdale, Peterborough This Week; Catherine Whitnall, Kawartha Lakes This

Week; and Isabel Teotonio, Toronto Star