Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Steven Lecce are scheduled to address the media at 9 a.m. ET at Queen’s Park, where there will also be a demonstration against legislation that forced a contract on 55,000 provincial education workers and removed the right to strike. CUPE has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. to discuss the return to Bill 28. You can watch press conferences live on this story. The union’s national president will be joined by national and provincial labor leaders, including representatives from the Canadian Labor Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour. The protest comes as CUPE, the provincial government, parents and students await a decision from the Ontario Labor Relations Board on the legality of the strike that began Friday, when thousands of workers walked off the job. The government is seeking a ruling that their walkout is illegal, while CUPE argues that the industrial action is a form of legitimate political protest. Board Chairman Brian O’Byrne heard arguments for 16 hours on Saturday and another eight hours on Sunday before promising to reach a decision as soon as possible. The strike closed many schools across the province on Friday and even more are set to close on Monday if the work stoppage continues.
