Ontario’s Catholic teachers have ratified the terms of a new contract with the provincial government. The two sides struck a deal on March 12, making the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association the first major union to reach an agreement with the province. The union had joined other labour groups in protesting major cuts to the education system, several of which the government walked back during contract talks. “This was a particularly difficult round of negotiations, in which the government was seeking to implement significant cuts to publicly funded education,” says OECTA President Liz Stuart. “Our bargaining team put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to reach an agreement that will allow Catholic teachers to continue providing high-quality education over the long term.” Details of the ratification vote were not immediately available.
