Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he wants to speed up negotiations with teachers, support staff

Thestar.com
June 28, 2019
Kristin Rushowy

Ontario’s new education minister wants to “work as quickly as possible” to hammer out deals with teachers and support staff before school starts this fall.

Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park, Stephen Lecce -- named to the file last week in a massive cabinet shuffle -- said he met with his negotiating team Thursday morning “and my instruction to them is to work as quickly as possible to drive a deal in the next 60 days, My interest as the minister is to keep these kids in the classroom.”

Lecce said he reached out to all education unions immediately after taking office, and hopes to meet with them in the coming weeks.

While Lecce is willing to listen to their ideas to understand “how those concepts could be implemented within the fiscal realities” of the province and within his “mandate to improve student experience,” he would not commit to changing course on the Ford government’s controversial changes such as bigger classes and e-learning.

“I am prepared to listen to union leaders about the ideas they have,” he said. “I come with no bias.”

Lecce has taken over education after his predecessor, Lisa Thompson, introduced a number of reforms that upset students and teachers alike -- including bigger classes starting in Grade 4 that will lead to the loss of thousands of teaching positions and fewer courses for students, as well as an unprecedented four mandatory online credits.

While education funding was increased in the spring budget, the extra money is largely due to increased enrolment, the child-care rebate, as well as the first instalment of an “attrition fund” to avoid teacher layoffs as jobs are phased out. Per-pupil funding has, in fact, decreased.

Earlier this month, the government also announced a 1 per cent wage cap on public-sector wages.

Teacher and support staff contracts expire at the end of August, and any strike would disrupt the start of the school year. There are also fears that a strike in Ontario could negatively impact the federal Conservatives in the October election.

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said Lecce is already off to a bad start as education minister.

By “not announcing today that he is reversing the Lisa Thompson-Doug Ford cuts to education in this province, then he has already failed the children of this province,” she said at Queen’s Park on Thursday.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said “so far, the government has not moved to negotiate nearly as quickly as the legislation would allow and we were willing.”

However, he added, “if the new minister says he wants to move forward expeditiously, we take him at his word and look forward to tabling proposals that are good for Ontario’s students. We hope they are met with the consideration they deserve.”

Lecce said Premier Doug Ford “has been very clear -- he wants a deal and he wants students in the classroom, and that’s my mandate and I’ll do everything I can in good faith to achieve that mandate for students.

“I want parents in the province of Ontario to know that I will do everything within my authorities -- and the premier himself has expressed this not so subtly, that he wants kids in the classroom in September and that is the moral obligation all parties have,” Lecce also said.