These schools are closed in Ontario for the education workers' walkout
Tens of thousands of librarians, custodians and early childhood educators across Ontario walked off the job after the provincial government tabled legislation to ban a strike and push a contract on those education workers.
At the heart of the issue is how much these workers are paid.
The Canadian Union of Public Employee's Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE), which represents approximately 55,000 members, is looking for annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent.
The latest offer from the province is a four-year deal that would cap annual raises for members making less than $43,000 at 2.5 per cent and provide 1.5 per cent raises for everyone else.
CUPE has said its workers, which make on average $39,000 a year, are generally the lowest paid in schools.
Some school boards across the Greater Toronto Area have said they can’t stay open without the services provided by these workers.
Here’s where the major boards across the GTA currently stand on the issue:
TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
The TDSB, the largest board in Ontario, announced Monday evening that it will have “no option” but to close all schools on Friday.
“While we understand that this will be challenging for many families, parents/guardians/caregivers will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children,” the board said in a statement.
In an update on Wednesday, the board says schools will remain closed for in-person learning for the duration of the strike.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
The TCDSB said in a letter to parents dated Oct. 30 that all of its schools will be forced to close following a full withdrawal of CUPE services.
“We understand that this news is difficult and may be the source of stress among families and their children, particularly after the circumstances during the pandemic,” the board said.
On Nov. 4, the TCDSB said its schools will remain closed for in-person learning next week if the CUPE job action continues.
"During this time, students will be engaged in remote synchronous learning," the TCDSB said.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, PDSB said all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will participate in asynchronous learning and beyond due to the walkout.
School buildings will be closed to students on Nov. 4, as well as all childcare, EarlyON centres and before and after-school programs. Athletic and extracurricular activities will be cancelled.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
A physically distanced classroom is seen at Kensington Community School amidst the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio
YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
The YRDSB originally said it would monitor the situation between CUPE and the Ontario government, but now says it will have no choice but to close its schools.
"Families are strongly encouraged to make alternate arrangements for your children prior to the protest. Please do not send any students to school on November 4," the board said.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
The YCDSB says it will close all of its schools on Friday following a full withdrawal of services by CUPE.
In a document obtained Tuesday afternoon, the board said its CUPE-represented staff are “critical and essential to the health, safety and well-being of our students and staff in YCDSB school communities and workplaces.
DUFFERIN PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS
In an update posted Nov. 2, the DPCDSB said it would close all its schools when CUPE workers walk off the job Friday.
"While DPCDSB remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached that avoids strike action and any impact on DPCDSB families and staff, we are advising families to explore options for child care on Friday, November 4 should a negotiated settlement not be achieved.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
DURHAM DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
The DDSB is instructing parents and guardians to prepare for “all scenarios” on Friday and the days that follow as a result of the strike.
“We recognize how disruptive it is when schools are closed. However, due to health and safety reasons our schools will not be able to operate on Friday without CUPE employees at work,” a board statement read.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
On Nov. 3, the DDSB said that all its schools will be closed for in-person learning starting on Friday "if CUPE does withdraw services."
HALTON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
HDSB said that it plans to keep elementary schools open on an alternate schedule of in-person and remote learning. Both elementary and secondary schools will remain open for in-person learning on Nov. 4. If the strike continues next week elementary school students would learn remotely on Nov. 7 and alternate schedules thereafter.
“Please be aware this remains a fluid and changing situation. The HDSB continues to monitor developments daily and decisions will be made accordingly,” the board said.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
HALTON CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Like the TDSB, the HCDSB has announced a full closure of its schools, but will be offering remote learning instead.
“As the situation continued to evolve throughout today, we have been gathering information and exploring all contingency plans that would allow us to keep schools open in the event that CUPE education staff proceed with a full withdrawal of services on Friday,” the board said.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
CONSEIL SCOLAIRE CATHOLIQUE MONAVENIR
Csc MonAvenir says that it will be forced to “restrict access” to its schools throughout southcentral Ontario following a CUPE walkout.
“The absence of custodial staff would pose a significant risk to the health and safety of employees and students if the maintenance, cleaning and sanitation of school sites is not done on a regular basis,” the board said in part.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
CONSEIL SCOLAIRE VIAMONDE
CS Viamonde says schools will be open on Friday, saying that even though it expects the absence of custodians and other support staff, the board is in a position to welcome students.
CS Viamonde noted that it will decide over the weekend about what will happen next week as the situation evolves between education workers and the province.
Read the board’s full statement here.
HAMILTON-WENTWORTH DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
In a letter to parents on Thursday, HWDSB confirmed that schools will remain open on Friday despite the strike. CUPE represents about 500 caretakers and maintenance workers at the school board.
“Our first responsibility is to our students. HWDSB’s contingency plan keeps schools open as long as possible, while maintaining health and safety. We continue to plan for labour disruption at HWDSB schools as workers respond to the Government of Ontario’s actions with an imposed deal. Our priority is to keep families informed as the situation evolves,” the board said.
HWDSB added that they will provide an update on Sunday if schools will open for in-person learning next week should the job action continue beyond Nov. 4.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
HWCDSB says its elementary and secondary schools will be closed to students on Friday due to the planned strike. It added that asynchronous learning will be available.
“We continue to pray for all impacted by this complex and challenging matter,” the HWCDSB said.
Read the board's full statement on the strike here.
On Wednesday, CUPE confirmed that members will be on strike beyond Friday unless a non-legislated deal with the government is reached.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Inside Canada's chaotic response to avian flu
A CFIA official is calling it the 'largest animal health emergency that this country has ever had to face.' A joint IJF/CTV News investigation looks into Canada's response to the bird flu pandemic, and how it's ravaged the country's farms.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid
Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country's power grid.
The world's 10 richest people got a record US$64 billion richer from Trump's re-election
Wednesday wasn't just a good day for Donald Trump. The wealth of the world’s 10 richest people also soared by a record amount, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
Influencer is banned from future NYC marathons for bringing a camera crew to last weekend's race
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last weekend's New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
B.C. man discovers 115 stuffed animals hidden behind wall, begins donating them to people around world
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president's resounding loss to Trump
Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris' resounding defeat as his loss too.
2024 will likely be the hottest year on record, climate agency warns
For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it's ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday.