Extracurricular activities will soon be returning to the province's English public high schools.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF)'s provincial council, consisting of 150 of the union's local leaders, has voted to recommend to members that they stop boycotting extracurricular and other voluntary activities.
The boycott has been in place since December after a labour dispute with the province.
The Globe and Mail has reported that the OSSTF has been meeting with government officials for the last two weeks.
The OSSTF's elementary school counterpart, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, has also been meeting with the government, but the Globe and Mail said those talks have progressed more slowly.
"We expect that this sign of good will from our members will prompt the government to have genuine discussions that can lead to a fair resolution to this current impasse," said Ken Coran, president of OSSTF/FEESO, in a press release.
"We still maintain that voluntary activities are just that: voluntary. We encourage members to review recent information and decide if they are willing to return to participating in the activities we know they feel so passionately about."
No further information will be released by the OSSTF until a press conference scheduled for Feb. 25 at 9:30 a.m., the press release said.
James Clyke, president of OSSTF District 3 Rainbow, representing high school teachers employed by the Rainbow District School, declined comment on the issue until the press conference is held.
Premier Kathleen Wynne said she is happy to hear the results of today's vote by OSSTF members.
"I'm so glad that teachers, support staff and students across the province will once again enjoy the extracurricular activities and programs that mean so much to them," she said. "For the past few weeks, my team and I have been meeting with our partners in the public sector and engaging in positive, frank and collaborative discussions about our shared priorities.
"Our government has immense respect for the educators of this province and we recognize the important role they play in our children's lives and in communities across Ontario.
"Today's news is a great indication of the hard work all parties are putting into the repair of this valued relationship. It shows our willingness to work together, to listen to one another's concerns, and to find common ground on which we can rebuild a foundation of trust and create an effective process going forward.
"I've been clear that this issue needs to be addressed within Ontario's existing fiscal framework. But I am confident that our government's commitment to fairness, consistency and respect in our conversations with OSSTF and all our partners will continue to result in real work being done for the people of Ontario."
