WELLINGTON COUNTY – All publicly funded elementary and secondary schools in Wellington were set to close on Jan. 15 due to ongoing Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (OSSTF) strike action.
On Jan. 10, OSSTF announced a “one-day, full withdrawal of services” in select Ontario locations, including the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB)
“If the government agrees to return to, and maintain, the class size ratios and staffing levels that were in place just a year ago, we will call off our Jan. 15 job action, and continue to bargain in good faith to resolve the many other outstanding issues,” OSSTF president Harvey Bischof stated in a press release.
Both the UGDSB and the WCDSB employ OSSTF teachers and education workers and both planned to close all schools on Jan. 15.
“OSSTF represents 267 of our 870 school-based staff,” Wellington Catholic director of education Tamara Nugent wrote in a letter to parents/guardians on the board website.
“As such, we would not be able to safely operate our schools.”
The schools planned to re-open on Jan. 16.
