Upwards of 200,000 teachers from across Ontario are on the picket lines Friday as a show of unity and force against the provincial government.

It’s the first time in over 20 years that the unions have held a mass walkout, and it’s expected to shut down 5,000 public, Catholic and French schools and impact two million students.

Premier Doug Ford criticized the strike Thursday. “Just imagine how many people have to find child care or take a day from work,” he said. “That’s unacceptable.”

The French and Catholic unions held talks with the Ontario government this week but no deals were reached. Teachers have engaged in job action since late last year, but today’s massive strike is the biggest operation yet.

Here’s how the day is playing out:

1 p.m.

Crowds started to fizzle out in the afternoon, after a morning of marching.

“I think today was a tremendous show of strength and force,” said Jessica Lyons, a parent organizer for Ontario Parent Action Network.

OPAN had supplies to make picket signs, hot chocolate, snacks and musical instruments for children to take part in at Queen’s Park.

“We are all united, we are all on the same page.”

Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said traffic is ramping up as the crowds at Queen’s Park begin to fizzle out.

“It’s manageable, but it’s pretty busy,” Aikins said. “Lots of kids, lots of strollers.”

Toronto police said demonstrators are leaving, opening up Bloor to College streets near Queen’s Park.

12 p.m.

The Star’s Kristin Rushowy tweets that OSSTF will resume rotating strikes next week.

11 a.m.

Stand up comedian and host of “Family Feud Canada” Gerry Dee tweeted a story in solidarity with the teachers.

He spoke to the Star about the big impact a former teacher had on his life and why he supports the teachers’ unions.

In grade 9, when Dee was a student at De La Salle College in Summerhill, he came to know a charismatic physical education teacher named Marty Lemire. Dee said Lemire looked after him while he was in school, and went above and beyond the typical teacher mandate to help students.

“He had this distinct voice, and he wanted us to call him Marty, not Mr. Lemire, and he was the hockey coach,” Dee said.

Dee played on the junior hockey team and when it came time for a team trip to Montreal, and Dee said couldn’t afford it but Lemire paid for him.

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“He just said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after it,” he said.

Dee said Lemire visited him at one of his shows during a meet-and-greet. Dee said he got the attention of the 200 attendees and told everyone the story of how his high school teacher went out of the way to pay for Dee’s hockey trip, when he and his family couldn’t afford it themselves. That was the last time they saw each other. Six months later, Lemire passed away after a battle with cancer.

“It was a very sad time for me,” Dee, a former teacher himself, said. “He was a good guy.”

“We get so caught up in numbers and dollar signs, budgets; we forget that at the heart of this is humanity,” he said. “They are almost like a second set of parents ... and most of them are going above and beyond.”

10 a.m.

The protest officially begins as thousands march and gather around the provincial legislature. Union leaders are calling on Education Minister Stephen Lecce to come out and meet with them.

“You need to show unity and that’s what we are doing,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof.

Anne Marie Aikins, senior media manager with Metrolinx, said the morning rush hour was a bit slower than usual due to schools being shut down, but that people are filing in gradually.

“The number of people in Union Station at this point-in-time in the day, normally it’s much reduced and we can see the volume starting to increase,” she said.

Toronto police are on scene to assist with traffic and demonstrators. They said Queen’s Park from Bloor to College are impacted and suggest motorists avoid the area.

9 a.m.

Protesters begin gathering across Ontario in solidarity with the four unions on strike. According to organizers, roughly 30,000 picketers will be at Queen’s Park, and in Peel Region, 20,000 people will line 30 kilometres of Highway 10, from the lake north to Caledon.

The four union presidents are speaking with the media prior to their meeting with the government.

“Mr. Lecce has been as toxic as the previous minister,” said Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath, saying that the impasse between government and union will not conclude under his leadership.

8 a.m.

Two hours before the strike is scheduled to begin, the Star’s Kristin Rushowy is waiting outside Queen’s Park for the masses to arrive. The 200,000-plus protesters are demanding that education minister Stephen Lecce, along with the Ford government, stop proposed cuts to education.

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