Teachers at Ontario’s 24 colleges will be in a legal strike or lockout position as of Oct. 15.

The conciliator in talks between 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians and Ontario’s public colleges issued the date after the Ontario Public Service Employees Union requested a “no-board” report.

Two weeks ago, faculty at Ontario’s colleges voted 68 per cent in favour of giving their union a mandate to call a strike if talks on a new agreement failed to produce any results.

OPSEU says by having a firm deadline, they hope to encourage a settlement. The two sides have been at the bargaining table since September 18.

“Our team will do everything in its power to achieve that settlement,” said J.P. Hornick, chair of the union’s college faculty bargaining team in a statement.

Among the key issues in the talks is education quality and the ongoing exploitation of contract faculty.

OPSEU and/or the College Employer Council must give five days notice before a strike or lockout.

The current collective agreement is set to expire at the end of the month.