Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, issued the following statement in response to further escalation by ETFO (Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario): "Now that the mediator has called us back to negotiate, the time is now for the union to cease escalation and focus on negotiating a deal that keeps students in class.

Toronto - Mar. 10, 2020: Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, issued the following statement in response to further escalation by ETFO (Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario):

"Now that the mediator has called us back to negotiate, the time is now for the union to cease escalation and focus on negotiating a deal that keeps students in class.

While ETFO has decided to escalate their withdrawal of service, our government is squarely focused on getting a deal - a positive deal that effectively freezes classroom sizes, provides full support for special education, maintains full-day kindergarten, and ensures merit-based hiring. Our focus is on negotiating so students can remain in class as opposed to being negatively impacted by continuing escalation by the teachers' unions.

I remain fully committed to reaching a deal that keeps students in class, provides certainty to parents, and fairness to educators."