November 17, 2022 at 3:41 pm
If a settlement with CUPE cannot be reached, the Bruce Gray Catholic School District expects students to transition to remote learning on Monday, November 21, 2022.
Ontario’s 55,000 educators will go on strike if they cannot reach an agreement with the province.
About 41 percent of Bruce and Grey’s Catholic Schools staff are members of CUPE. The 420 staff includes custodians, educational assistants, librarians and some staff from the Catholic Education Center.
The board said the decision to close schools in the event of a strike was difficult but necessary after assessing the risk to students’ safety.
“The safety of all remains the Board’s primary concern and was a major factor in making this decision. Therefore, unless a new central agreement is reached between CUPE and the Ontario government, effective Monday, November 21, 2022, all Bruce-Grey Catholic School District schools will be closed to students. Students will receive asynchronous classes on Monday, November 21, 2022 and synchronous learning will begin on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.”
The board hopes a strike can be avoided, but is advising families to arrange alternative child care for next week because before- and after-school programs will also be closed. Brockton Child Care and Wooden Hill Child Care Centers will remain open.