Premier Doug Ford says he will negotiate fairly with the province's teachers, but warns that students must be in school in the fall.
Ford says the province will give more than a one per cent raise to teachers, whose contracts expire on Aug. 31.
The premier says extracurricular activities must also be available to students come September.
Those activities have been cut in the past when teachers work to rule.
Four of the five major education unions have already taken the first step to start bargaining by sending a notice of intent to the province.
The Progressive Conservatives had a poor relationship with the unions over the previous four years, with teachers staging various strikes and work-to-rule campaigns during the last round of negotiations.