Schools closed across Montreal, Laval as rotating teacher strikes continue
Classes are cancelled in English-language schools across Montreal and Laval today while teachers hold a rotating strike day. Health-care services are also affected.
An estimated 5,500 teachers who work for the English Montreal School Board, the Lester B. Pearson School Board and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board are picketing outside their schools.
James Dufault, who teaches at Royal West Academy in Montreal West, said austerity measures are further widening the gap between the public and private education systems.
He said the province's decision to invest $1 billion in struggling Bombardier, a move announced this morning, shows that its priorities are supporting businesses rather than Quebec children.
CEGEPS in Montreal and Laval are also closed.
"Teachers don't want to strike. No one wants to strike, however, it's the only option that we have to get the government to listen to our concerns seriously," said Peter Sutherland, president of the Montreal Teachers Association, which represents about 1,800 teachers on the island of Montreal.
Sutherland said although Thursday's cancelled classes could cause headaches for parents, the teachers are using pressure tactics as a way to get the government to improve Quebec's public education system.
"Clearly, it's not ideal for a student or for a parent to have to face teachers on strike and schools closed, but you have to take the long view. Is it worth the sacrifice to not have school for a couple of days in order to ensure that next year, your child isn't in a class with three, four, five more students?"
Teachers have been without a collective agreement since April.
They voted in favour of six rotating strike days this fall as a way to protest against lagging contract talks with the government, where points of contention include increasing class sizes and lowering support services for students with special needs.
"They have shown a little bit of movement in terms of not taking such a firm position on wanting to increase class sizes. Their initial position was to remove all the provisions for special needs support in our collective agreement. They're showing some signs of moving on those things but not nearly enough," Sutherland said.
Expect delays or cancellations for medical services
Teachers are not the only ones walking off the job today in Laval and Montreal.
A mix of civil servants, including health-care professionals, court clerks and other public sector employees, are also holding one-day strikes.
In the health-care sector, essential services will be provided.
For non-emergency or outpatient services, patients can expect delays or possible cancellations.
Thursday's strike could affect care in hospitals, CLSCs, long-term care institutions, and French-language youth and family services. (Batshaw youth and family centres are not affected by the strike.)
For a full list of what schools and services are affected, go here.
