"The Ford government likes to present the false choice of school buildings being either open or closed..."

“Premier Ford’s rhetoric about a province-wide crisis, including skyrocketing cases for children and youth, does not align with his government’s decision to keep some schools open and allow in-person learning for students with special education needs in others without putting in place all necessary safety measures.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association welcomes the opportunity to offer input for the development of the 2021-22 Grants for Student Needs.

Do you teach about residential schools to students in Grades 6 – 12? This course may be of interest to you.
 

The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) released the following statement today.

Each year, the Association provides input into the budget consultation and development process undertaken by the Government of Ontario.

In August, Ontario’s four major education unions, the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) requested a meeting with the Minister of Labour to discuss concerns with the government’s “Guide to Re-Opening Ontario’s Schools.”

In the aftermath of the disappointing decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to dismiss, on jurisdictional grounds, the health and safety complaints regarding the re-opening of schools, Ontario’s four major education unions gathered, to make public, information that would have been presented at the hearing.

"The dam is bursting...

“If there was any doubt remaining as to whether the Ontario College of Teachers truly served as a voice of the profession, the issue has surely been settled with the cover of the latest edition of Professionally Speaking...."

Ontario’s four major education unions are deeply concerned by the decision of the Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board to dismiss our health and safety case on the re-opening of schools based on jurisdictional grounds without even hearing the substantive evidence.

Following the failure of the Ministry of Labour to adequately respond to their requests for appropriate health and safety standards in publicly funded schools, Ontario’s four major teacher and education worker unions say they have been left with no choice but to file formal appeals with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).

Ontario’s four major education unions have requested an immediate meeting with the Minister of Labourand representatives from the Ministry of Education,contending that the government’s “Guide to Re-Opening Ontario’s Schools” fails tomeettherequirements set out in the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Ford government is jeopardizing the safety of students, educators and all Ontarians by severely underfunding a safe return to school this September, say Ontario’s four major education unions representing the province’s elementary and secondary teachers and education workers.

School Mental Health Ontario recently released a new MH LIT – Mental Health in Action literacy course. This course provides elementary educators with basic knowledge and information related to mental health, social-emotional learning, strategies to enhance student mental health, and everyday practices for use in the classroom. The free course will help you to:

“With the support of millions of Ontarians, teachers and education workers fought for more than a year against this government’s plans to implement devastating cuts to publicly funded education...

“We all want to help students excel in math. But the revised math curriculum represents a significant change, one that will require a great deal of time, resources, and supports for teachers to understand and master..."

TORONTO – The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) released the following statement today.

“Ontario’s Catholic teachers have watched in dismay over the past several weeks...

Parents are important partners in ensuring a child’s mathematical success. A warm, inviting numeracy-rich learning environment at home is the first step to fostering a love of mathematics in children.

This guide is for parents and their children, particularly those in the junior grades. As a parent you have the task of helping your child develop a positive disposition towards the learning of mathematics.

"Our Association agrees with the need to take a cautious approach to re-opening schools, while continuing to do what we can to foster students’ development and well-being..."

“It is disappointing that the government continues to disregard the input of professional, frontline teachers. Our Association has been trying to work collaboratively with the Ministry of Education, to help respond to the COVID-19 emergency in a way that respects students’ diverse learning needs. Most especially, we have conveyed to them the many equity, privacy, and security issues that are created with the use of live video or audio.

Members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) have ratified
the agreement on central terms for a new contract.

The COVID-19 emergency is taking its toll on everyone. From health concerns, to economic shocks, to the challenges of social distancing and self-isolation, we are all affected.

OECTA has reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association and the Government of Ontario on central terms for a new collective agreement.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that as a result of concerns related to the spread of COVID-19, the OECTA Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled to take place March 14 to 16 in Toronto, has been postponed.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry.

Liz Stuart, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, has issued the following statement on the status of contract negotiations with the Ford government.

Registration closes on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Courses start on Monday, March 30, 2020 and end on Friday, June 19, 2020.

Catholic teachers have met more than 40 times with the government and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, made significant progress with the trustees on major issues, and offered flexible solutions to the government to help protect publicly funded education in Ontario.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that it is planning a one-day, province-wide walkout on Thursday, March 5.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that if an agreement is not reached, members will participate in rotating full withdrawals of service the week of February 24.

On Friday, February 21, elementary and secondary teachers and education workers represented by the four major education unions in Ontario will stand up to the Ford government’s education cuts by participating in a one-day walkout across the province.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that members will be enhancing their administrative job action beginning Tuesday, February 11.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that it is planning a second one-day, province-wide walkout on Tuesday, February 4.

Check out Social Media: A “how to” guide for members.

Check out the December issue of Catholic Teacher Magazine.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that all of its members will be engaging in a one-day full withdrawal of services on Tuesday, January 21.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) is greatly disappointed that collective bargaining discussions with the government and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association have broken down.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that unless a tentative agreement is reached, members across the province will be taking administrative job action beginning Monday, January 13.

Nominations open!

See the cuts the government has made so far...

TORONTO – Today, four unions representing teachers and education workers across Ontario’s publicly funded education system have filed court challenges against the Ontario government’s Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act.

A “no-board” report has been issued with respect to negotiations between the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), the Government of Ontario, and Catholic school board trustees. The release of this report means Catholic teachers will be in a legal strike position as of December 21.

"It has always been obvious why the Ford government was trying so hard to hide these results. Ontarians clearly reject the government’s education agenda, and with good reason..."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) met today with representatives of the government and Catholic school board trustees, to continue negotiations for a new collective agreement.

An Open Letter from Catholic Teachers to Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has filed a request with the Minister of Labour to have a conciliator appointed to assist in collective bargaining with the government and school board trustees.

In a province-wide vote conducted this week, members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) delivered an overwhelming strike mandate, with 97.1 per cent voting in favour of authorizing strike action.

 

Four Ontario unions, representing teachers and education workers across Ontario’s publicly-funded education system, strongly condemn the passage of Bill 124 by the Doug Ford government today.

As Catholic teachers, we strive every day to live the Gospel values for our students. Chief among
these is the foundational belief that every one of us is a child of God.

Yesterday, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce once again attempted to mislead the public about the government’s education cuts.

The Association has made many attempts to engage the Ford government in genuine dialogue about how our schools work and what our students need to succeed, but their regressive education agenda is being driven entirely by their desire to cut spending on public services.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced it will conduct a province-wide strike vote.

We will need some time to review the specifics of the new curriculum documents, but it is unfortunate that the Ford government’s haphazard approach has resulted in so much chaos and confusion.

OECTA is outraged by the news that the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), at any point, held shares in GEO Group, Inc.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) welcomes its 2019-21 Provincial Executive, which takes office on July 1, 2019.

With the introduction of this legislation, the Ford government is once again trampling on public services and Ontarians’ legal rights.

Teachers and education workers in Ontario have formed a common front to defend a strong publicly funded education system that is of high quality and accessible to all.

The government should be ashamed of the games they are playing with the collective bargaining process and our publicly funded education system, says the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ ssociation (OECTA).

Budget will erode quality education.

Tens of thousands of teachers, education workers, parents, and concerned community members came together on Saturday April 6 at Queen’s Park in Toronto to defend high-quality publicly funded education, and the optimal learning conditions that all students need and deserve! Check out our photo gallery of the event. See what people are saying about the rally on social media.

Today’s announcement by Minister of Education Lisa Thompson was supposedly about modernizing classrooms, but in reality the government is continuing to move backward on publicly funded education and collective bargaining rights, says the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA).

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) is extremely alarmed by a government memo to school boards, recommending that boards stop hiring teachers and other staff, including hiring needed to fill vacancies for retirements and leaves, pending further announcements on education funding.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) is writing to present issues that are of importance to our 45,000 members as the Standing Committee on Social Policy reviews and considers amendments to Bill 48, the Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act.

Provide Your Input – Proposed changes to the OCT

Submissions on Class Size, Full-day Kindergarten, and Fair Hiring Practices

The Ontario English Catholic Teacher’s Association (OECTA) is pleased to announce that David Church will be taking on the role of General Secretary as of June 1, 2019.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) welcomes the opportunity to provide input for the development of the 2019 provincial budget.

In November 2018, the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) quietly released a Governance Review Report.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) is alarmed that the government is cutting millions of dollars in education funding, mostly from programs meant to serve vulnerable students.

OECTA Submission to the 2019-20 Grants for Student Needs Consultation

OECTA Submission to the Ministry of Education Consultation

Most members are in a highly vulnerable financial position when they are confronted with a loss of income during a lengthy or permanent disability.

Keep up-to-date on Provincial Bargaining news. Update your personal email address.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) is greatly concerned about proposed changes to the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) contained in Bill 48, the Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, which threaten to transform the OCT from a self-regulatory body into an arm of the government.

President Liz Stuart responds to latest government announcement on revisions to the HPE curriculum and government consultations with parents.

Following the government’s decision to revert to the old Health and Physical Education curriculum, there has been a great deal of misinformation and confusion about how teachers should proceed when the school year begins.

New analysis from Lancaster House, a leading publisher on labour, employment, and human rights law, offers important perspective on the recent grievance settlement between the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) and the Government of Ontario.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) expresses great disappointment with the government’s decision to revert to the outdated Health and Physical Education curriculum.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) welcomes its 2018-19 Provincial Executive, which takes office on July 1, 2018.

Canadians are rightly proud of our universal health care program. It enables everyone to get the care they need, regardless of their employment status or economic circumstance.

As of April 1, all daily Occasional Teachers in Catholic school boards are now eligible to enrol in OECTA’s OECTA Occasional Teachers Benefit Plan.