Ontario Kids Back in School, Education Workers Back at the Bargaining Table After Walkout

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) education workers strike on the picket line in Kingston, Ont., on Nov. 4, 2022. The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg

Ontario schools reopened for in-person learning today after Premier Doug Ford said he “extended an olive branch” to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 55,000 education support staff.

Ford said Bill 28, the back-to-work legislation that used the notwithstanding clause to impose a four-year contract on education workers, would be repealed if the workers returned to their jobs and allowed students to get back to school.