OTTAWA -- Friday will be a day off for two million students in Ottawa and across Ontario as teachers trade lesson plans for picket signs.

Classes will be cancelled as members of all four teachers’ unions hold a province-wide one-day strike to back demands for a new contract. 

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens will hold a coordinated one-day strike. The unions have been holding separate, rotating strikes in boards across the province.

The Ontario Government is scheduled to hold contract talks with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association and the union representing French teachers today.  The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association plans to hold rotating, one-day strikes in boards across Ontario next week if a deal is not reached.

School boards in Ottawa and eastern Ontario have announced plans for Friday’s one-day strike:

Ottawa Carleton District School Board

  • All elementary and secondary schools will be closed and Extended Day programs will be cancelled
  • Night school, Adult High School, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, Co-op, Dual Credit, home instruction, extra-curricular activities and field trips are cancelled. 
  • All community use of school permits for Friday, Feb. 21 will be cancelled

Ottawa Catholic School Board

  • All elementary, intermediate and secondary schools will be closed
  • The one-day closure also includes all regular school day activities, Co-op, Dual Credit, home instruction, extra-curricular activities, field trips, and clubs
  • OCSB Community Use of Schools programming is not affected by the one-day strike

Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est

  • All elementary and secondary schools will be closed

Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario

  • All elementary, secondary, specialized and adult schools will be closed
  • The CEPEO’s before and after school programs for children aged four to 12 will be closed. Programs for toddlers and preschoolers will also be closed

Upper Canada District School Board

  • All elementary and secondary classes and activities will be cancelled on Friday
  • The UCDSB says if you use a child care facility within one of its schools, contact your care provider directly with questions

Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario

  • All elementary and secondary schools will be closed
  • The board says parents who have children that attend childcare and/or before and after school care programs in CDSBEO facilities should contact their individual provider for details on childcare operations during the strike

Renfrew County District School Board

  • All elementary and secondary schools will be closed
  • All Community Use of School Permits will be honoured on Friday
  • In a statement, the RCDSB says “during a strike, our school sites remain open and child care facilities located within our schools may continue to operate. Parents/guardians are asked to contact the operator to confirm whether they will remain open.”

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board

  • All elementary and secondary schools will be closed and all classes cancelled