Kathleen Wynne would legislate striking Ontario teachers back to work
Labour Relations Board considers legality of strike action
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says she would introduce back-to-work legislation for teachers, if that's what it takes to get high school students in three boards back to class.
More than 70,000 students have been kept from class for weeks as high school teachers strike in the Sudbury-area Rainbow District, Peel Region and Durham Region – where that strike is in its fifth week.
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Wynne says the best way to put an end to the strikes is through negotiated settlements, but in the meantime, she will "take whatever action" she needs so kids get back to school as quickly as possible.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board is considering an application from the three school boards to have the strikes declared illegal.
The school boards argue that the local strikes are really on central issues, such as class sizes, and the job actions are all being "orchestrated" centrally by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.
The government has also asked a separate arm of the labour board to consider whether the students' school years are in jeopardy.