As thousands of students attended their first day back to class, Premier Dalton McGuinty was busy addressing the possibility of an elementary teacher's strike.
McGuinty addressed the issue on Tuesday while promoting a new educational program at a Pickering, Ont., high school.
The premier, who spoke at St. Mary Catholic High School with Education Minister Kathleen Wynn, urged the teachers to take the current gloomy economic climate into account and accept the province's offer.
"In the context of the rough economic seas, I think it's very reasonable," McGuinty said. "I think it behooves teachers to accept what I think is a very reasonable offer from a government (which) is more than prepared to continue working with them and find ways to improve the quality of our schools."
The contract with 73,000 of the province's elementary school teachers expired on Aug. 31, 2008.
The union has refused to accept the current contract offer of a three per cent pay increase for each of the four years straight - totaling 12 per cent.
Instead, the union is pushing for a 10 per cent increase over two years.
Despite the monetary impasse, Wynn is confident that a strike will be avoided and says parents should not be concerned.
"I think parents should be confident that the working relationship between teachers and the government is a good one, and that we'll be able to get a resolution," Wynn said.
Since being elected in 2003, McGuinty has always visited an elementary school on the first day back to classes. This is the first time the premier has attended a high school after the summer break.
High school scare
Later, McGuinty's announcement of a newly expanded trade program for Ontario high schools was interrupted after a student fainted during the event.
McGuinty had been speaking at the high school for approximately 15 minutes when a sudden loud bang in the room startled the audience.
The source of the noise was a student's head hitting the concrete floor.
The premier's security team and some of the teachers immediately rushed to the unconscious student.
The 14-year-old student eventually regained consciousness as he was being rushed to the hospital. Teachers confirmed to CTV Toronto that the student will be okay.
McGuinty and Wynn were in Pickering, Ont., to promote the expansion of a specialized high school trade program that aims to increase graduation rates in Ontario.
The new program will allow students to customize their course load to specific trades while at the same time working towards a high-school diploma
With a report from CTV's Paul Bliss.
