Unions say Ontario teachers likely won't have contracts before school year, citing slow pace of bargaining

For the second year in a row, teachers across the province will be returning to school in September without a collective agreement and the unions representing Ontario’s educators are expressing frustration with the slow pace of bargaining.

For the second year in a row, teachers across the province will be returning to school in September without a collective agreement and the unions representing Ontario’s educators are expressing frustration with the slow pace of bargaining.

Last year thousands of education workers walked off the job following a decision by the Ford government to impose a contract on them, briefly resulting in the closure of most schools.

The union representing the workers eventually reached an agreement with the government but the others unions that make up the province’s education sector have remained without a new contract.

While the union leaders seem certain that students and teachers will head back to the classroom after Labour Day, the fate of the rest of the school year appears to be a bit murkier.

Ontario’s four main teachers’ unions have been without a contract since last summer and three of the four union leaders spoke to CP24.com to provide an update on the ongoing negotiations. They all indicated that there has been a lack of real progress at the bargaining table after more than a year of contract talks.

In a statement emailed to CP24.com, a spokesperson for Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the Ford government has been “bargaining in good faith over the past several months” and aims to secure “a deal that keeps kids in class, provides parents with stability, and treats educators fairly.”

But union leaders say it seems unlikely that deals will be reached before the start of the school year. Here is a look at what the union leaders have said about the ongoing negotiations with the province: