March 13, 2020
We are pleased to announce that the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), which represents both elementary and secondary teachers in our Board, has reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association and the Government of Ontario on central terms for a new collective agreement.
Details of the agreement remain confidential pending ratification. Effective immediately, all OECTA strike action is suspended during the ratification process.
March 4, 2020
This is a reminder that ALL elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be closed to students and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled tomorrow (March 5, 2020) due to labour action.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), which represents both elementary and secondary teachers in our Board, has planned to engage in a province-wide strike tomorrow.
The union has been at the negotiating table with the Ontario Government today and we remain hopeful that a negotiated settlement can be reached soon.
If there are any significant developments in the negotiation reached, we will communicate that to families directly via our School Messenger system this evening and early tomorrow morning.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB.
Feb. 28, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced plans for a one-day full withdrawal of service on Thursday, March 5, 2020.
As a result, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be CLOSED to students on Thursday, March 5, 2020 and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled those days.
We regret any disruption to student learning or inconvenience to families that will result from this job action; however, student safety is always our first priority, and we cannot provide safe and secure learning environments for students without teachers.
We value the work that all of our teachers do to support students every day, and we remain hopeful that talks will resume and a central agreement can be reached in the near future.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Feb. 21, 2020
We have learned this afternoon that the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has agreed to return to the bargaining table on Monday, Feb. 24 and will suspend its planned strike date for our schools on Tuesday, Feb. 25 while talks resume.
Therefore, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be open on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be operating as usual.
We are pleased to hear that OECTA and the government are returning to the bargaining table on Monday and we remain hopeful that a negotiated settlement can be reached soon.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Feb. 18, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced plans for a one-day full withdrawal of service on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. This is in addition to the previously scheduled strike day this Friday, Feb. 21, 2020.
As a result, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be CLOSED to students on Friday Feb. 21, 2020 and Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled those days.
We are pleased to hear that OECTA and the government are returning to the bargaining table tomorrow (Feb. 19) and we remain hopeful that a negotiated settlement can be reached soon.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Letter to PVNC Families (Feb. 18, 2020)
Feb. 13, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced plans for a one-day full withdrawal of service on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. OECTA represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board.
As a result, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be CLOSED to students on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled that day.
We regret any disruption to student learning or inconvenience to families that will result from this job action; however, student safety is always our first priority, and we cannot provide safe and secure learning environments for students without teachers.
We value the work that all of our teachers do to support students every day, and we remain hopeful that talks will resume and a central agreement can be reached in the near future.
We are committed to ensuring our families receive timely communication and updates throughout this process. A hard-copy version of this letter will go home to all families within 24 hours.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Letter to PVNC Families (Feb. 13, 2020)
Jan. 31, 2020
Parents/guardians and students may experience some minor delays during drop-off and pick-up times Monday (Feb. 3, 2020) as members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) engage in a third information picket.
The union plans to have information pickets at every school Monday before and after school. Student and staff safety are always our top priority and the Board will be working with the union to ensure picket locations operate safely.
A reminder that ALL schools will be closed to students on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 as OECTA engages in a one-day full withdrawal of service. All student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled that day.
We are pleased to hear that OECTA and the government are returning to the bargaining table on Monday and we remain confident that a negotiated settlement can be reached soon.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Jan. 28, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced plans for a one-day full withdrawal of service on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. OECTA represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board.
As a result, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be CLOSED to students on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 and all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled that day.
This is the second one-day strike by the union. Catholic teachers also engaged in a full withdrawal of services on Jan. 21, 2020.
We regret any disruption to student learning or inconvenience to families that will result from this job action; however, student safety is always our first priority, and we cannot provide safe and secure learning environments for students without teachers.
We value the work that all of our teachers do to support students every day, and we remain optimistic that a central agreement can be reached in the near future.
We are committed to ensuring our families receive timely communication and updates throughout this process.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Letter to PVNC Families (Jan. 28, 2020)
Jan. 16, 2020
Parents/guardians and students may experience some minor delays during drop-off and pick-up times tomorrow (Jan. 17, 2020) as members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) engage in a second information picket.
This will be similar to the information pickets held by our teachers on Monday (Jan. 13, 2020).
The union plans to have information pickets at every school tomorrow before and after school. Teachers will be distributing a one-page brochure to anyone who is interested in receiving it and they do not intend to significantly delay entry or exit into the school.
Student and staff safety are always our top priority and the Board will be working with the union to ensure picket locations operate safely.
A reminder that all schools will be closed to students on Tuesday, Jan. 21 as OECTA engages in a one-day full withdrawal of service. All student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled that day.
The Ministry of Education has launched Support for Parents, an initiative that will provide financial support to parents of eligible children for each day of school that is missed on account of the labour disruption: www.Ontario.ca/
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Jan. 13, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced plans for a one-day full withdrawal of service on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. OECTA represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board.
As a result, all elementary and secondary schools and programs in the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will be CLOSED to students on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Accordingly, all student transportation to PVNC schools will be cancelled that day.
We regret any disruption to student learning or inconvenience to families that will result from this job action; however, student safety is always our first priority, and we cannot provide safe and secure learning environments for students without teachers.
We value the work that all of our teachers do to support students every day, and we remain optimistic that a central agreement can be reached in the near future.
We are committed to ensuring our families receive timely communication and updates throughout this process.
We will continue to post labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Letter to PVNC Families (Jan 13, 2020)
Jan. 10, 2020
Parents and guardians may experience some minor delays during drop-off and pick-up times Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, as members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) engage in an information picket.
OECTA represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board. It is our understanding that the union plans to have information pickets at every school on Monday before and after school. Teachers will be distributing a one-page brochure to anyone who is interested in receiving it and they do not intend to significantly delay entry or exit into the school. Student and staff safety are always our top priority and the Board will be working with the union to ensure picket locations operate safely.
OECTA announced Wednesday that it will begin legal job action with a partial withdrawal of services beginning Monday, Jan. 13.
Jan. 9, 2020
After careful consideration, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board has decided the January EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment will not proceed as scheduled.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), which represents both elementary and secondary teachers in our Board, announced Wednesday (Jan. 8, 2020) that it would begin legal job action with a partial withdrawal of services beginning Monday, Jan. 13, 2020.
As part of the planned job action, our teachers will not be participating in any EQAO related activities, including the administration and subsequent marking of the test. The labour sanctions would also make it difficult to implement the accommodations that some of our students rely on in order to be successful on the test.
Teachers will continue to work through the completion of the Grade 9 math curriculum as Semester 1 comes to an end and will provide a summative assessment to allow students an opportunity to demonstrate their achievement of the overall expectations for the course. This will be incorporated into the student’s final grade.
There may be another opportunity for Semester 1 Grade 9 students to write the EQAO Math Assessment in June. We will await further clarification from the Ministry of Education.
Background
All Ontario students who are enrolled in a Grade 9 applied or Grade 9 academic mathematics courses are normally required to take the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent provincial agency funded by the Government of Ontario. EQAO’s mandate is to conduct province-wide tests at key points in every student’s education and report the results to educators, parents and the public. EQAO measures students’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario Curriculum expectations.
Jan. 8, 2020
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that it will begin legal job action with a partial withdrawal of services beginning Monday, Jan. 13, unless a tentative agreement can be reached between the union, the government and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association.
The union is emphasizing that this job action is designed to impact Ministry of Education and school board initiatives only and it will not have a direct impact on student learning.
OECTA represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board, so the partial withdrawal of services will be in effect at all elementary and secondary schools; however, we are confident that normal school operations will continue during this stage of job action.
During this job action, our teachers will not:
- complete report card comments or learning skills (only student marks will be available)
- participate in board or provincially directed professional development activities
- participate in EQAO-related activities
- perform certain administrative duties
It is our understanding that school activities such as field trips, sports and extracurricular activities are expected to continue during this stage of job action. Communication between parents and teachers will continue as normal.
The Board is still evaluating how today’s job action announcement will impact secondary school students who are scheduled to write EQAO tests between Jan. 13 and 24. We will communicate with families of secondary students about this as soon as possible.
We value the work that all our teachers do to support students every day, and we remain optimistic that a central agreement can be reached in the near future.
We are committed to ensuring our families receive timely communication and updates throughout this process. We will be posting labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Letter to PVNC Families (Jan. 8, 2020)
Jan. 6, 2020
As we welcome students back from the holidays, we understand that families may be concerned about the ongoing labour negotiation process in the education field.
Currently, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), which represents elementary and secondary teachers in our Board, is in a legal strike position. Should the union proceed to service removal such as a work-to-rule campaign or strike action, it must give school boards five days notice.
Central negotiations continue this week and we are hopeful that positive progress can be made towards an agreement.
We are committed to ensuring our families receive timely communications and updates throughout this process.
We will be posting labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca and on Twitter @PVNCCDSB. Significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Dec. 1, 2019
Families may be reading news reports about job action by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), which announced that their members would be participating in a one-day, province wide strike (full withdrawal of services) on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
Some school boards may be closing schools on that date as a result.
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic School District Board is not affected by the OSSTF labour action.
All our schools will remain open as usual.
In our board, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) represents all elementary and secondary teachers. We are hopeful a new central agreement with OECTA will be reached in the near future.
We will be posting labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca, on Twitter @PVNCCDSB and significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.
Nov. 18, 2019
In a province-wide vote conducted last week, members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) delivered a strike mandate, with 97.1 per cent voting in favour of authorizing strike action.
In our board and for all Catholic boards of Ontario, OECTA represents all elementary and secondary teachers.
Our families should note, public school teachers are represented by two different unions: the secondary teachers by OSSTF and the elementary teachers by ETFO. Their negotiations, actions and timelines are entirely separate from those of OECTA.
The holding of a strike vote to authorize job action by union members is a normal and legal part of the collective bargaining process.
OECTA is not yet in a legal strike position, so negotiations will continue for the time being and we are hopeful a new central agreement with OECTA will be reached in the near future.
We are committed to ensuring our parents and guardians receive timely communications and updates throughout this process.
We will be posting labour relations updates on our website – www.pvnccdsb.on.ca, on Twitter @PVNCCDSB and significant updates will also be communicated to families via our School Messenger system.