The unprecedented province-wide strike hit its one month mark on November 15th.
After talks initiated by the Ontario Premier in efforts to kick-start negotiations between the two parties failed, the province announced the decision to table back-to-work legislation. By getting students and faculty back to class as soon as possible, the first step in starting the process to end the labor dispute will begin.
President of Fanshawe College, Peter Devlin, says the college has revised the end date of the Fall term to prevent an lost term.
“Fanshawe remains entirely focused on students and making their needs are fulfilled to the best of our ability. To that end, we have extend the fall term, so classes will go up to and include the 22nd of December. Classes will resume again on the 3rd of January and go unto the 16th or 23rd of January. [There will be] a break and then the winter term will start a few days after.”
The extended term gives students time to finish the fall semester and complete exams and assignments. There will be no classes or exams held between Saturday, December 23, 2017 to Tuesday, January 2, 2018. The plan is to complete the winter term by the end of April.
David Latour, an animation professor at Fanshawe, recognizes that it is a difficult time and thanks students for their patience.
“I know it would be really easy to blame the instructors for this situation, but I’m pleased for the most part that this is not something caused by the teachers, this is teachers fighting for better educational circumstances for their students. So I’m really grateful for students and their preserverance. It makes a big difference.”
He encourages students to stay busy, focused, and to continuing refining their skills to the best of their abilities.
Fanshawe’s resources will remain available for students to help students do just that, including: libraries, labs, study groups, tutoring, counselling and accessibility services, and daily information sessions.
Previous strikes at Ontario’s colleges in 1984, 1989, and 2006 were resolved in about three weeks.
