High school teachers reach tentative deal

Almost 5,000 elementary teachers in one of Ontario’s largest school boards are taking strike action today, while some high school teachers have pulled back.

High school teachers in Hamilton reached a tentative deal with the school board just hours before their job action was set to begin. It will be be business as usual while the deal is presented to education minister Laurel Broten for approval.

Boards in Guelph, London, Niagara and York also reached tentative deals with their high school teachers over the weekend. Details of those agreements haven’t been released yet, while the minister goes over them.

Broten released a statement saying she is pleased about the tentative local agreements reached between boards and OSSTF locals over the weekend. “Reaching negotiated agreements that meet our shared fiscal challenges while protecting small class sizes, full-day kindergarten and teacher jobs has always been our preference.”

Meanwhile, about 5,000 elementary teachers in York region are in the first stages of their job action. They didn’t show up until half an hour before classes started this morning, and will leave no later than 30 minutes after classes end – today and tomorrow. Their union says the teachers’ action won’t affect student safety.

Video: Sharon McCulloch reports: