Ontario Premier Doug Ford accused the unions of failing to work with the government and mounting political attacks
The confrontation echoes the bitter, drawn-out contract talks that just ended in the spring, as COVID-19 hit.
He added that his government has listened to the unions’ concerns, announcing millions in new funding for better ventilation in schools, enhanced cleaning and allowing the use of school board reserve funds to hire more teachers. “What we’re asking for is flexibility,” Mr. Lecce said. “Every single subsect of society has had to be flexible, changed their behaviour, adapted, pivoted, to really rise to the challenge, which is a generational, once-in-a-century pandemic.”The Ford government has also told the TDSB to rework its plan for high schools, which included a hybrid of in-class and online learning, with 25 per cent of time in a classroom. Ontario says it wants that number at 50 per cent.
Leslie Wolfe, president of OSSTF Toronto, said the government is simply looking to shift blame, especially as parents and educators grow more anxious about the return to school.“The problem is this government has tried to create a school reopening plan on the cheap,” Ms. Wolfe said.
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