There were chants and cheers, and plenty of handmade signs as students protested education cuts in Ontario.
At 1:15 p.m., students at Timmins high schools walked out of class to protest proposed changes to the education system.
"We are trying to fight against bigger classroom sizes, mandatory e-learning courses that we have to take in order to graduate high school, we are also fighting for loss of teachers’ jobs and the funding cuts for the art programs, the autism programs, OSAP cuts and much more than that,” said Patrick Boissonneault, who organized the walkout at O'Gorman High School.
At the Catholic high school, students gathered in the parking lot across from main entrance.
From inside the school, teachers watched through the windows as the students holding signs chanted against the cuts.
“If Doug Ford and the government can see what we’re doing to fight against his changes...I think we can get our message across, for sure,” said Boissonneault.
Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association northeastern unit president Louis Clausi was at the walkout to show his support.
“I think it’s really important that students do have a voice and this is impacting on students. This is student generated, which is really a hope for the future that students themselves have organized this and I’m here to support them because I think they have some very valid concerns about the proposed changes to education,” Clausi said.
His concerns echo those of the students, though he's particularly concerned about the e-learning.
“And I think it’s just an attempt to privatize and out-source education to this virtual call centre somewhere with probably not even teachers running it,” he said.
“I think this is an attempt at getting rid of public education, I think it’s too important and it’s something worth fighting for.”
The Northeastern Catholic District School Board is also supporting the students' efforts.
"We respect and support the right of students to advocate for causes that are imporant to them and welcome the opportunity to work with any student or student group to discuss the ways to do so while they remain at school," reads a news release from the board.
"Our main priority as a school board is to support the academic and well-being needs of students while maintaining a safe environment for all. As a safety precaution, we informed the Timmins Police Service of the walkout so they were aware that students may be walking in large numbers off of school property."
Here's what it looked like at Ecole secondaire catholique Theriault for their walkout:
