Some 55,000 education workers in Ontario will not strike Monday after successful last-minute contract talks with the provincial government, according to Education Minister Stephen Lecce. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing a number of education support workers across the province, reached a tentative deal on Sunday evening — a move that should allow public schools to open as normal. “Parents can rest easy knowing that the Government worked tirelessly to ensure their children remain in the classroom, where they belong,” Lecce said in a statement. The minister was asked why the work of both teaching and support staff in Ontario school are not considered an essential service like transit staff. He said now was not the time for finger-pointing.
