Strikes called for Halton, Bluewater and Algoma schools

Three more Ontario school boards will experience strikes at their elementary schools next week, joining scheduled strikes in the Hamilton area and parts of northern Ontario on Monday and in Toronto and seven other school boards on Tuesday.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario announced that teachers will not be in the classroom in the Halton, Bluewater and Algoma boards on Wednesday.

There are 83 elementary schools in the Halton District School Board, which serves students living in the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville.

The Bluewater District School Board is home to more than 40 elementary schools, all of which will be closed on Wednesday — along with the Bruce Peninsula District School, Peninsula Shores District School and Walkerton District Community School — as a result of the pending day-long strike.

All will reopen on Thursday.

The Algoma District School Board website indicates that it has 39 elementary schools, all of which will be closed for elementary students and teachers on Wednesday and reopen the next day.

Strikes started last week

Rotating, single-day strikes have been occurring in boards across the province since last Monday.

The teachers are protesting Bill 115, the controversial legislation passed in the fall that gives the provincial government the power to quash strikes, trim benefits and freeze the wages of teachers.

The premier has said that the government will not stand in the way of the strikes, provided that they don't last long.

ETFO, which represents more than 76,000 teachers and education professionals, has said that every single public elementary school in Ontario will be affected by the last day of classes before the holidays.