TheRecord: High School Coaches Prepare to Play, But Politics May Sideline Teams

Article By:  Mark Bryson and Liz Monteiro

WATERLOO REGION — Some public high school coaches are planning to resume extracurricular sports, with practices of some sports beginning this week, but that could change once their union leaders meet Wednesday to talk about their next steps now that the province’s teachers have been ordered back to work.

And it doesn’t look promising that sports teams or other high school clubs will get the green light from the union leadership.

Ken Coran, provincial president for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, told his members late Monday afternoon in a “bargaining bulletin” obtained by The Record that they should continue to stay away from extracurricular activities.

“While we are resuming our imposed contractual obligations, and all of our duties in accordance with the Education Act, it has always been the position of OSSTF/FEESO that the performance of extracurricular activities is voluntary,” it reads.

Coran refers to a strategic action plan shared with members last month that stated “if the Minister through Bill 115 orders that the contractual or Education Act requirements be fulfilled (i.e, legal strike is ended), voluntary or extracurricular activities WILL NOT resume,” the bulletin reads.

However, Darcy Mintz, president of the Waterloo County Secondary Schools Athletic Association, said teachers are being asked whether they will resume coaching now that the Ontario government has imposed two-year contracts.

The teachers are being polled by their principals at the region’s 16 public high schools, and revised athletics schedules will be created based on their responses. 

“A revised WCSSAA schedule is going to begin in the week of Monday, Jan. 14. We are gathering information to see what sort of commitment there is and determine what teams will resume playing,” said Mintz, a vice-principal at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener.

“Once we have that information, then we’re going to sit down and create the revised schedules,” he said.

Teams would likely play only two games next week before taking another two weeks off for exams. They would likely play only one or two games after they return from the exam period, before playoffs begin. 

Local athletic teams have been on ice since the union representing public high school teachers across the province announced on Dec. 3 that it would suspend all extracurricular activities as part of its job action against the provincial government. 

One day later, the Waterloo Region District School Board cancelled all extracurricular activities from Dec. 10 to 31. The cancellations included all practices and Waterloo County athletic association games.

Basketball, hockey and volleyball teams have been cleared to resume practicing this week. The winter season also includes wrestling, swimming, curling and skiing.

The provincial union executives will meet Tuesday and Wednesday and there will also be a meeting of all local bargaining unit presidents on Wednesday to “discuss recent developments and future actions.” 

Union leaders will talk about future plans now that contracts have been imposed by the Dalton McGuinty government. Discussions will likely include a political day of protest by all teachers.

Education Minister Laurel Broten imposed contracts on 126,000 public school teachers and education workers last week. She also announced that the government would repeal Bill 115, the same legislation she used to freeze teachers’ wages, cut their benefits and ban strikes.

Rob Gascho, local union president for public high school teachers, said the union is waiting to see who the Liberals will choose as their leader at a convention later this month.

Gascho said there’s hope a new leader will throw out the legislation and allow boards to negotiate contracts.

“We are in a holding pattern until the new leader is chosen,” he said.

Gascho said the union is no longer in a legal strike position and therefore cannot direct members on any action, however, “I doubt they will go back to extracurriculars,” he said.

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