THUNDER BAY -- Melissa Shantry doesn’t think the issues surrounding the controversial Bill 115 are worth teachers striking.
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario announced on Sunday they will go on strike Dec. 12 for 24 hours. All elementary public schools in the city will be closed on Wednesday as a result of the strike.
Elementary teachers are also imposing work-to-rule sanctions as of Monday, including withdrawing their services from extracurricular activities
Shantry’s six-year-old daughter attends Algonquin Avenue Public School and is heartbroken because of the strike and sanctions.
“She can’t go to school. They’ve cut all the extracurriculars and try explaining that to a six-year-old why she can’t go on field trips, why she can’t have her pizza days,” said Shantry.
“I just don’t think the issues are that worth it to take our children out of school, impose on parents who have to work and make us find child care for a day,” she said.
Lakehead Public Schools director of education Cathi Siemieniuk said the strike is a big disruption for parents and students.
“Certainly when our schools are closed that’s not in a place where we want to be, but ETFO is in a legal position to strike,” she said. “We regret for parents that this had to happen but we appreciate their understanding.”
Siemieniuk said the board is still negotiating with ETFO and they are making progress.
“We’re hopeful always that there will be a resolution with all of our union groups,” she said.
While negotiations are ongoing with the board, Lakehead Elementary Teachers president Ellen Chambers said it was impossible to for the two parties to reach an agreement because of the legislation being imposed on them by the province.
“And as a measure to let them know that we are not at all pleased and actually quite disturbed and disgusted by their legislation, Bill 115, that we are showing them through a legal venue of how displeased we are,” Chambers said.
This type of legislation is unprecedented in Canada, Chambers said, adding she believes this is a larger attack on workers in general, not just teachers.
“It’s the fact that we have not been allowed to have fair negotiations with the government.
They put down on the table what they were going to take away and where and with that there is no negotiating,” she said.
All elementary schools, including Grade 7 and 8 classes at Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute will be closed for the day. Secondary schools will be open.
