STUDENTS DEAL WITH THE LONG TERM RAMIFICATIONS OF THE STRIKE
Sara Hanafi
CCE CONTRIBUTOR
For students across Ontario, returning to school after Christmas break sounds even less appealing than usual.
To their dismay, extra-curricular activities, including sports, clubs and events, are still cancelled and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that changing in the near future.
Public school teachers are locked in a labour dispute with the Liberal government that prompted the union to ban extra-curricular activities in protest of Bill 115. The legislation outlines a two-year pay freeze, the removal of banked sick days and the limiting of collective bargaining rights and the right to strike.
The Liberal government also decided to impose two-year contracts on 126,000 public school teachers and education workers, which has only fueled the fire.
Grade 12 Huron Heights Secondary School student Davis Schwartz said he feels the lifeblood being taken out of his school.
“Everyone comes to school just for the fun of it,” he said. “The people, the atmosphere and the events – that’s what really brings the school together. Now you just come to class and that’s it. It’s not as enjoyable as it was.”
Schwartz added that students are losing more than sports and clubs because of the protests. Anyone needing extra study help from teachers will have to look elsewhere.
Grade 12 students will be lacking school activities to put on their university applications. Banquets that are held to give recognition to those pupils who demonstrated hard work are cancelled.
Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation members are protesting the legislation because they believe their democratic rights are being threatened. They want to ensure that in the future, the government won’t further restrict teachers’ bargaining options.
In the midst of the labour conflicts are the students, who are being impacted by the lack of school events.
The biggest disappointment for Schwartz and his friends is the loss of a key social event.
“There’s no prom,” he said. “It’s most likely going to be cancelled because the teachers can’t participate and supervise, or they could be fined by the union. This is putting a damper on the last year of high school.”
To express their frustration with the extra-curricular events ban, Schwartz said his classmates held a student walkout in December.
“About 100 students walked out to show their distaste, and about 250 students took the afternoon off.”
Parents from across Ontario are also expressing their discontentment with the labour disputes by posting messages on Twitter. One mother wrote, “Angry that the (Toronto District School Board), ETFO and the Liberals could not resolve their issues (without) using children and parents as political pawns in this game.”
Joan Richardson, a parent whose daughter attends Lester B. Pearson Public School, said she’s fed up with one-day walkouts and protests that result in closing the school.
“It’s overwhelming and frustrating trying to find alternate plans to have my daughter taken care of if school is closed,” she said. “Especially if the plans are made at the last minute.”
Elementary teachers were set to stage a one-day protest on Jan. 11 by holding a walkout, however the Ontario Labour Board determined that it would be considered an “unlawful strike”. Anyone participating could have faced fines of up to $2,000.
Courtney Ceponis, an Ontario public school teacher, said that 92 per cent of ETFO members voted in favour of a day of political protest if Bill 115 was imposed.
ETFO president Sam Hammond said in a video on their website that the approach that the government has taken has been verygtroubling.
“We hope that (the government) would repeal Bill 115,” he said. “If not, we hope that we are able to have a concrete discussion and that they would allow us to have all options on the table for those discussions.”
