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With college students heading into one other pandemic college yr, the president of one in all Ontario’s largest training unions visited Ottawa to ship her message to the provincial authorities.

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College students and employees want stability, Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary Faculty Lecturers’ Federation (OSSTF), stated throughout a media convention held Thursday outdoors Lisgar Collegiate.

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She known as for improved security measures to guard towards COVID-19, elevated funding in training and an finish to a shift towards privatizing providers, comparable to the federal government’s funding of personal tutors to assist college students catch up.

“A correct restoration plan that can restore stability will (additionally) require the federal government to cease  making adjustments with no warning, with out session and little funding and inadequate coaching for workers,” Littlewood stated.

Educators are dealing with the yr with some trepidation, Littlewood stated. “Regardless of our greatest hopes, COVID isn’t performed. The very last thing anybody desires to undergo is one other spherical of faculty closures and last-minute selections.”

Training has been disrupted for the reason that pandemic started in March 2020. College students repeatedly shifted between in-person and on-line studying and confronted the sporadic cancellation or curtailment of extra-curricular actions like sports activities, bands and golf equipment.

Training Minister Stephen Lecce additionally makes use of the phrase “steady” as he requires a return this yr to a extra regular college routine for elementary and secondary college students.

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Lecce has promised the provincial authorities will maintain children at school till college ends in June.

However there may be uncertainty on twin fronts as this college yr unfolds within the shadow of COVID-19 in addition to contract bargaining with training unions.

There are fewer COVID-19 well being protections in place than there have been a yr in the past, main some critics to warn the virus may unfold shortly in faculties.

There isn’t a masks mandate for college kids and employees, as an example, and the federal government has eradicated the requirement for folks with COVID-19 to isolate for 5 days. Individuals with the virus can now return to high school or work as soon as their fever is gone and different signs have improved for twenty-four hours, however they’re requested to put on a masks for 10 days from the onset of signs.

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Each OSSTF and the union representing public elementary academics have expressed concern concerning the loosening of isolation necessities on condition that college students and employees spend hours indoors in crowded lecture rooms and take off their masks to eat and drink.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Well being, Dr. Kieran Moore, has stated that different protections, together with improved air flow and cleansing, mixed with excessive vaccination charges among the many inhabitants as an entire, permit for a extra “permissive strategy.”

NDP training critic MPP Marit Stiles known as on the federal government this week to do extra to advertise vaccinations amongst kids age 5 to 11, the place charges lag behind different age teams.

On the bargaining entrance, Littlewood stated a number of conferences between her union and administration had been scheduled within the subsequent few weeks.

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Contracts for the province’s main training unions expired Aug. 31.

Littlewood criticized the federal government for “instilling worry in mother and father and college students by villainizing  unions and educators, saying our contract negotiations are going to trigger disruptions to the varsity yr.

“They had been saying that earlier than the varsity yr had even (began.)”

Her members are searching for wage will increase, given present inflation charges, she stated.

OSSTF represents English public highschool academics, who earn a median of round $94,000 a yr, in addition to some training assistants and different assist employees, who sometimes earn half that a lot.

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Final month in negotiations with CUPE, which additionally represents college assist employees, the federal government supplied a two-per-cent a yr enhance for employees incomes lower than $40,000 a yr and a 1.25-per-cent enhance for everybody else.

When requested if she would assist the thought of a better wage enhance for her lowest-paid members, Littlewood stated that trusted what was supplied on the bargaining desk.

Julie Fontaine, president of the OSSTF native representing 350 assist employees working in lecture rooms at Ottawa’s French Catholic college board, stated her members had been underpaid. There’s a staffing scarcity as a result of it’s troublesome to draw and retain workers, she stated.

Fontaine, who has a three-year diploma in little one and youth growth, labored for 22 years on the board, primarily serving to kids with autism and behavior issues.

She earned $40,000 for the varsity yr and was laid off in the summertime.

“I cherished my job,” stated Fontaine, who was additionally on the media convention. “I might rise up within the morning and be so comfortable to go to work with the kids…”

Nonetheless, she was compelled to work second jobs in a bunch residence and as a waitress to make ends meet, she stated.

“I’m not ashamed to say that. I needed to assist my household..”

jmiller@postmedia.com