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Ontario elementary teachers ratify contract deal with provincial government

Ontario’s elementary teachers have ratified their new contract with the provincial government.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario says 97 per cent of its teacher members voted in favour of the three-year deal.

It will see teachers get salary increases of one per cent a year for three years, and four per cent annual increases to benefits.

The agreement also contains a two-year, $89-million “Support for Students” fund, which ETFO says will create about 434 teacher positions, to address areas such as special education, English language learning and mental-health initiatives.

The deal guarantees the one-teacher, one-early childhood educator model for full-day kindergarten for the life of the agreement, and says there will be no changes to elementary class sizes.

ETFO president Sam Hammond says in a statement that while the negotiations were “prolonged and difficult,” teachers stood firm in the face of cuts.