

Sandie Benitah and Joshua Freeman, cp24.com





High school students in Mississauga and other parts of Peel Region could find themselves without school Monday as teachers are poised to strike.

After a week away from the bargaining table, negotiations between the board and the union are set to resume today and are expected to last through the weekend. The strike deadline is 12:01 a.m. Monday.

“We are actively negotiating here in Peel with both our table teams,” Peel District School Board Chair Janet McDougald told CP24 Friday. “I would say the progress is slow, but we’re steadily meeting and talking and trying to resolve what I would say is the minority of issues that are in our brief.”

McDougald said the majority of issues have been resolved and that she is optimistic a deal will be reached. However she said the board is prepared in case a deal isn’t reached by Sunday evening.

The teachers’ union declined to comment on negotiations Friday.

If an agreement isn’t reached, the strike would impact 42,000 students.

Teachers in Durham and Sudbury are already on the picket lines.

Durham Region teachers walked off the job on April 20, forcing the cancellation of classes at 22 schools. About 24,000 students are affected by the strike.

Meanwhile, Peel elementary school teachers could also face job action. They will be in a legal strike position on May 10.