Public elementary teachers across Ontario set to vote on strike

Elementary teachers set to vote on strike From CTV Kitchener's Nicole Lampa: Ontario elementary school teachers will vote on a strike mandate over the coming weeks.

The union representing Ontario's elementary school teachers says it will spend the next two months holding member meetings and gauging the possibility of a general strike.

The president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario says the union hopes to negotiate a new deal for its 83,000 members without any kind of labour disruption.

But Sam Hammond says a central strike vote will take place over a series of mass meetings scheduled throughout September and October.

He says the meetings are meant to allow members to weigh in on what they see as priorities during the pending collective bargaining talks with the province.

The union says key demands are expected to include more supports for students with complex needs, class sizes and the protection of full-day kindergarten.

Contracts for teachers and education workers at the province's publicly funded schools expired at the end of August.