Favourable Decision on Bill 115 Charter Challenge

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - April 21, 2016) - In an 84 page decision released today, Justice Thomas R. Lederer ruled in favour of the Charter challenge to Bill 115. In 2012, the Ontario government eliminated free collective bargaining and the right to strike, and imposed contracts across the education sector.

OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott noted that "Justice Lederer confirmed what we believed all along." The Court found that "considering the overall process undertaken, the actions of the Ontario government substantially interfered with meaningful collective bargaining." The Court also found the Ontario government's approach to bargaining was "ill-conceived."

"It is unfortunate that the government's approach created such unnecessary and negative consequences for the education sector," added Elliott. "And we are pleased that the Court has reconfirmed the importance of free, fair and meaningful collective bargaining," he concluded.

This Court decision is a result of action taken by unions including OSSTF/FEESO, ETFO, CUPE, OPSEU and Unifor.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.