Unless a strike is averted, English Catholic schools in Timmins will be closed Jan. 21.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) is staging a province-wide, one-day full withdrawal of services Tuesday, Jan. 21.
For the strike, Northeastern Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) elementary and high schools will be closed to students.
"School safety remains our priority. For the Northeastern Catholic District School Board all of our teachers are members of OECTA. As such, we would not be able to safely operate our schools," reads a news release.
OECTA job action started yesterday (Jan. 13).
Members are not completing report cards, participating in EQAO-related activities, and attending or taking part in Ministry of Education initiatives.
As talks between Ontario teachers' unions and the provincial government continue, the groups have been escalating job action.
An Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) one-day strike Jan. 15 is affecting area schools as well.
OSSTF members at District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1) will be on the picket lines for the one-day full withdrawal of services. Public elementary and high schools will be closed for the strike.
Members at Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Grandes Rivieres are also taking part in Wednesday's strike. A memo on the board's website says schools will be closed to students.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) also upped its job action this week.
Public elementary teachers are no longer supervising extracurricular activities unless scheduled during the regular school day, and not taking part in field trips. Members are also not arriving at work earlier than 30 minutes before the start of the instructional day are leaving within 15 minutes of the end of classes. They are not planning or participating in assemblies, unless it's to provide supervision to students.
If the ETFO and government don't reach a deal by Jan. 17, its members will start rotating strikes starting Jan. 20.
