Ruling on legality of teacher strikes won't be released until next week
Premier Wynne says she'll legislate teachers back to work if she needs to
The strike by English public high school teachers in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin will stretch into a fifth week.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board announced Thursday it will not make a ruling on the legality of the strike, as well as two other walkouts in southern Ontario, until the middle of next week.
For the last two weeks, the labour board has been considering a claim by the Rainbow, Durham and Peel school boards that these strikes are illegal because they are based on provincial issues and not those decided on at local bargaining tables.
Meanwhile, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday she would introduce back-to-work legislation if that what it takes to end the strike.
Wynne said 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 premier has also asked a little known branch of the labour board, the Ontario Education Relations Commission, to rule on whether or not the school year can still be saved.
At the same time, talks resumed this week between the province and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.