For the first time since last September, all 1.3 million Ontario public school children face the return of extracurricular activities, after the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario reached a late-night deal Tuesday the union said promised to address items of “concrete importance” to members.

In a late-night email to teachers, ETFO President Sam Hammond said while talks continue with the province, “we are now confident that the government has demonstrated a commitment to dealing with concrete items of importance to our members . . . ETFO is suspending its advice to members regarding voluntary/extracurricular activities.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who had said the return of extracurriculars was a priority, released a statement saying she was “happy to learn” of the development.

“I hope that elementary school students, teachers and support staff across the province will once again enjoy the activities and programs that mean so much to them . . . (the) news is a great indication of the hard work all parties are putting into the repair of this valued relationship.

“It shows our willingness to work together, to listen to one another’s concerns, and to find common ground . . . ”

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Wynne reiterated that there is no additional money, as issues “need to be addressed within Ontario’s existing fiscal framework.”

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The news does not mean extracurriculars will automatically return, but it gives teachers who want to resume them the go-ahead. Just moments after the news got out, teachers took to Twitter and Facebook, with some saying they were “shocked” and “confused” about ETFO’s change of heart.

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On Facebook, one teacher posted: “I actually am so dang happy to get back to business as usual — I miss my kids — my choir — my music — my reason for teaching!” While another posted “we lost. Our fight was for nothing . . . ”

Another said he felt it was too late in the year to start up extracurricular activities.

“I think members are owed a big explanation of what has happened.”

“Honestly, I am disappointed,” wrote another teacher on the Facebook group.

“ETFO members agreed (for the most part) to stand together and fight. We stood proud while the public spoke disgusting words regarding our profession. We cancelled Christmas concerts, class trips, choirs, clubs teams . . . all at the direction of our union. Now they are backing down. This taxing and difficult year has been for nothing. We have made no difference.”

The elementary teachers’ union has been calling since September on members to take a pause from everything from field trips to teams, clubs, plays and fundraising events to protest the province’s threat to impose a two-year contract that freezes wages for two years, reduces sick days from 20 per year to 11, and ends the longstanding practice of cashing in unused sick leave upon retirement.

By late fall, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation had joined the boycott and virtually all extracurricular activities for students in public English-speaking schools across the province ceased, even after the government, under former Premier Dalton McGuinty, followed through on its threat and imposed the contracts.

But both unions continued their boycott until shortly after the arrival of new Premier Wynne, whose promise to take a more collaborative approach to future talks won the end of the high school teachers’ boycott.

But ETFO continued to advise members not to volunteer until Wynne could show some “concrete” change, although it is not clear what that meant. Talks continued between ETFO and government officials until the logjam broke late Tuesday night.

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In the meantime, two small school boards — Upper Canada in Eastern Ontario and Trillium-Lakelands in cottage country — even took ETFO to the Ontario Labour Relations Board this winter to seek a cease-and-desist order to the boycott, which they claimed was an unlawful strike once the unions no longer were in a legal strike position. The board chair Bernard Fishbein has not yet released his decision.

Wynne added in her statement Tuesday night: “Our government has immense respect for the educators of this province and we recognize the important role they play in our children’s lives and in communities across Ontario.

“Of course, we have been clear that this issue needs to be addressed within Ontario’s existing fiscal framework. But I am confident that our government’s commitment to fairness, consistency and respect in our conversations with ETFO and all our partners will continue to result in real work being done for the people of Ontario.”

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