Premier Ford slams heads of teachers unions: ‘They’re playing politics’
Posted September 2, 2020 3:43 pm.
Last Updated September 2, 2020 4:12 pm.
Premier Ford’s contention with Ontario’s teacher unions continues.
The Premier of Ontario said in a press conference on Wednesday that he has no intention to take the advice of teachers unions over that of medical experts. This comes one day after the he toured a Toronto school with provincial Minister of Education Stephen Lecce.
On August 31st, Ontario’s four main teacher unions – the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens – filed a complaint with the labour board, saying the Ontario government failed to meet their concerns.
This is just the latest in a series of conflicts between the four major teacher unions and the Ford government.
In Wednesday’s press conference, Premier Ford said that the teachers unions are “playing politics” while the government is “pulling out all the stops.” He adds that the teachers unions should be more focused on staying positive, and helping out, as opposed to “painting a picture of apocalypse.”
OSSTF/FEESO, @AEFO_ON_CA, @ETFOeducators, + @OECTAProv, "taking legal action as Ford government fails to meet health and safety obligations."#osstf #onted #onpoli pic.twitter.com/E6D6uCAogO
— OSSTF Communications (@osstf) August 31, 2020
OSSTF President Harvey Bischof says “no worker in the province of Ontario should be expected to sacrifice their health and safety.” Premier Ford responded by calling Bischof “some guy with a degree in English literature which thinks he’s a doctor.”
Ontario’s New Democrats agree with the teachers’ unions. They’ve asked the Ontario ombudsman to review the government’s back to school plan.
The T.D.S.B. recently released a video showing what schools would like when they re-open, including mandatory masks for all students and staff, and elementary students having all classes in one room five days a week. As for the teachers’ unions, they say they the class sizes need to be lowered to 20 students at most, and that the government should fund that, as opposed to the unions themselves. Premier Ford has defended his government’s plan, saying it has been approved by public health experts, including the province’s chief medical officer of health.
Most students in Ontario will return to school by September 17th, unless there’s a change of plans.
School starts on September 15, 2020. ????
There will be a staggered start for elementary students over the first three days (September 15-17) and all secondary students begin school on September 15.
Please see our website for more information: https://t.co/X2jr10b70r pic.twitter.com/JnZU15ug8y
— Toronto District School Board (@tdsb) September 1, 2020
