15,000 protest Bill 115 at Queen’s Park
On August 27, Laurel Broten announces that the legislature will be recalled from its summer break to introduce legislation imposing contracts on public educators. With the Ministry’s self-imposed August 31 “deadline” approaching, educators across the province band together to stage a massive protest outside the Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park.
The successful rally leads to a number of initiatives by ETFO to put pressure on the government. Robbed of their ability to express any kind of problem or concern through the collective bargaining process, educators are encouraged to “Take A Pause” when it comes to extra-curricular and voluntary activities (the thousands of hours of extra work teachers do for no pay).
ETFO also institutes “McGuinty Mondays” in honour of the Premier’s role in creating Bill 115; every Monday, ETFO requested that all teachers conform strictly to the terms of their contracts and work only within their mandated hours.