Teacher strike to close English public schools Wednesday

All English public schools in Ottawa will close Wednesday for the second time in two months as a major Ontario teachers' union holds another one-day walkout.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) has been without a contract since August 2019 and launched a work-to-rule campaign in late November.

The campaign has involved a series of rotating one-day strikes designed to put pressure on the provincial government.

The Jan. 15 walkout will involve staff at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien.

Staff at certain elementary and secondary schools within the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario and the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est will also walk off the job, the union said.

The one-day strike does not affect teachers in the Ottawa Catholic School Board or the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. 

Read the full list of affected schools below

'Hopeful' for resolution

In a statement, the OCDSB said it would be closing all of its elementary and high schools Wednesday.

Any field trips, clubs or extra-curricular activities would also be cancelled that day, as would any extended day childcare programs operated by the board and all community school use permits.

"The OCDSB remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached at the central bargaining tables. However, parents should have plans in place [on Wednesday] and consider alternate arrangements in the event of future withdrawals," the statement said.

The UCDSB, meanwhile, is planning to cancel all classes, co-op placements and extra-curricular activities for students in Grades 9 to 12, as well as specialized classes for students from Grade 7 and up.

All regular classes for students from kindergarten to Grade 8 will go ahead, even those who attend secondary schools, the board said.

A similar walkout last month led to all public schools in Ottawa and all French schools in eastern Ontario closing for the day.

It's currently not clear what boards other than the OCDSB and the UCDSB have planned for Jan. 15.

Previous strike affected Kingston, Renfrew

The OSSTF's latest labour disruption will occur one week after teachers with Renfrew and Kingston school boards walked off the job.

Those schools are not participating in next week's walkout, according to the list provided by OSSTF.

Teachers with Ontario's English-language Catholic boards have announced that they will be starting their own work-to-rule campaign on Monday.