The Ontario government will table back-to-work legislation later today, forcing an end to the on-going secondary school teachers' strike in the province.
Education Minister Liz Scandals says a branch of the Ontario Labour Relations Board has ruled the strikes are now impacting students' education and putting their school year at risk.
About 70,000 students in Peel Region, Durham Region and in the Sudbury-Rainbow Districts have been kept from class for up to five weeks as a result of the strikes.
Although the Liberal government has a majority, support from both the NDP and the Conservatives is required to circumvent house rules and speed the bill past second and third reading. With unanimous support, Sandals says students could be back to school as early as tomorrow.
'If the first thing that happened was a matter of debate this afternoon, with unanimous consent to skip ahead to second and third reading, I think we could have students back to school tomorrow," Sandals says.
Today's move will likely have wider implications on other school boards, with elementary school teachers in cities across the province also in a strike position. The government's move is a signal to unions that the Liberal government is not afraid to implement legislation to end strikes.
Elementary school teachers in Ottawa began their job action last week, beginning with a withdrawal of administrative duties.
The OCDSB is one of seven Ontario school districts which the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation targeted for strike action.
With files from the Canadian Press
