Public elementary teachers are picketing across Niagara today as the rotating one-day strikes hit the region.
All DSBN elementary schools are closed today as members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario are taking part in today's job action to put more pressure on the government during negotiations.
President of the local union Jada Nicklefork says, "We know that this is a hardship for parents, but it is crystal clear that to date, Ford’s Education Minister Lecce is only interested in cuts to education. We are asking parents to stand with us to protect the future of public education. The programs we are fighting for today will have an impact on the education of students now and in the future."
ETFO President Sam Hammond is planning to visit picket sites in Niagara today, including the officers of Niagara West MPP and Parliamentary Assistant to the Education Minister Sam Oosterhoff.
Oosterhoff says the funds are coming from the money teachers aren't collecting while they are on strike. "We've had almost 200,000 - well over 170,000 parents and families across Ontario who have signed up for the program."
Parents are eligible for up to $60 dollars when strikes force school closures.
The cost of the program comes in at $48 million per day is all teachers' union were to go on strike on the same day.