Ontario backs down on increasing class sizes, e-learning in teacher negotiations

Ontario's Progressive Conservative government almostentirely backed down Tuesday on two of the major issues for teachersin a bitter round of contract negotiations that has been marked byescalating strikes and acrimony.

Long before bargaining started last year, the governmentannounced new mandatory e-learning courses and large increases tohigh school class sizes, angering teachers and setting the stage fortense talks.

Partial backtracks late last year from the government did nothingto quellthe growing labour unrest and Education Minister StephenLecce onTuesday announced a near-total capitulation on both fronts.

Ontario is now offering an increase in average high school classsizes to 23 just one student over last year's levels, and a farcry from the 28-student average class the province initiallyannounced.

"We have been negotiating for hundreds and hundreds of days with an impasse," Lecce said. "The ball is in their court now. We've made a significant move that is in the interest of students."

But as part of the new offer, the government is not budging beyond an offer to increase wages and benefits by one per cent a year, and it wants concessions on a regulation that dictates seniority-based hiring.

WATCH |Education Minister Stephen Leccemakes announcement about class size and e-learning:

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5 years ago

Duration 1:32

Education Minister Stephen Lecce told reporters Tuesday the province is now offering an increase in average high school class sizes to 23.

Lecce said the government will continue to develop a new onlinelearning system, but an opt-out will be added, so there won't be anymandatory requirements for graduation.

"We believe that online learning provides a multitude of benefits for students, particularly when it comes to diversifying the course offerings and really embracing 21st century learning," Lecce said.

"But at the end of the day, we have listened and heard thatparents want to be in the driver's seat of that decision."

Union calls newsconference 'amateur'stunt

Lecce has long maintained that the teachers' unions wereprioritizing salary and benefit increases, with asks on benefits inparticular well above what the government is offering. He saidTuesday that the only reason the teacher talks were still at animpasse is because of disagreements on benefits and hiringpractices. The unions disagreed.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary SchoolTeachers' Federation, called Lecce'snewsconference an "amateur"stunt that interrupted actual exploratory talks Bischof's union washaving with the government on Tuesday.

"We were still in active discussions and this minister chose toroll a hand grenade out on the table," he said. "I would like tosee him bring proposals to the bargaining table."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) said Tuesdayit would accept the one per cent wage increase if the provincebacked down on class sizes and mandatory e-learning, though it wouldcontinue with a court challenge to government wage restraintlegislation.

President Liz Stuart said OECTA will return to the bargainingtable Wednesday, but noted an average class size of 23 is still anincrease over last year's levels, and would still lead to lost jobsand fewer course offerings for students.

The unions also noted that when the government previously backeddown to a 25-student class average, the move came with a "poisonpill" because local class-size limits would be removed, essentiallyallowing the province to see the number of students per class climbindefinitely.

Lecce wouldn't confirm Tuesday if that was still part of theoffer, saying those discussions will happen at the bargaining table.

The minister said his proposals aren't new to the unions, butthey said Tuesday was the first they had heard of them.

"The unions have known about in some cases for weeks aboutour classroom size decision, and yet we still remain today to benegotiating because of outstanding issues largely around benefitasks or ... language related to merit-based hiring."

All four major teachers' unions have been engaging in variousstrikes during this contentious round of bargaining, and Lecce onTuesday urged them to call off future planned strikes includingsome set for Thursday.

Elementary teachers have said their key issues include guaranteeing the future of full-day kindergarten, securing more funding to hire special education teachers, and maintaining seniority hiring rules.

Lecce also said Tuesday the government willcommit to maintaining the same level of special education funding asin previous contracts, though with different terms.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario noted that Lecce is not reversing the elementary class-size increase of about one student per class, to an average of 24.5. It took effect this year.

ETFO president Sam Hammond said he is also not satisfied by the special education commitment, which he characterized as partial.

"We have learned from past experience that Minister Lecce's public announcements do not necessarily translate into negotiating proposals at the table," Hammond said in a statement.