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Scott said it was clear in May that all parties had reached an impasse, and the bill’s passage ensures the school and the union will now enter into binding interest arbitration.

She said the strike is believed to have been the longest ever at a Canadian university.

In a statement, Premier Doug Ford lauded the passage of his government’s first bill and confirmed Ontario’s legislature will meet for an additional two or three weeks this summer, continuing the rare summer sitting at Queen’s Park.

“During the election we promised to hit the ground running on delivering our plan for the people of Ontario — a plan to deliver real change for Ontario taxpayers,” Ford said.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the government’s imposition of back-to-work legislation sends a bad message.

“This initial move sends a signal that if the government’s not happy with the process of negotiations, they’re prepared to bring the big hammer of legislation forward. And that’s never a good thing,” she said.

Horwath said the Ford government needs to address the underlying issues which led to the strike, including what she called the under-funding of post-secondary schools.

“What the government needs to do is fund our universities properly. Instead they’ve trampled on the rights of these workers, and we’ll see whether they end up going to court as a result of that.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the workers, said last week it would consider launching a legal challenge if back-to-work legislation was used to end the strike.