Ontario English Catholic teachers ratify agreement with province

TORONTO, ON., April 9, 2020 — Members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association have ratified an agreement for a new contract with the Province of Ontario after months of negotiations and several one-day strikes.

Within the new contract English Catholic teachers agreed to an average of 23 students in high school classes, which is one additional student than last year but much a much lower number students than the government’s original plan for 28.

And according to a memo obtained by the Canadian Press, OECTA agreed to a “one-per-cent hike on salary and four per cent on benefits.”

Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, issued a statement regarding the ratification of the central agreement with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA):

“I would like to congratulate OECTA and OCSTA for the ratification of the 2019-22 central agreement, the first deal reached with Ontario teachers,” said Lecce.

“We will continue to advance efforts that improve and modernize Ontario’s education system and serve the needs of students and their families, while being fiscally responsible. Our aim is to ensure our system is responsive and adaptive to the challenges on the horizon, and we have full confidence that educators will rise to the challenge and work hard to ensure students learn and succeed,” said Ontario’s education minister.