[36] Bill 161 Original (PDF)
Bill 161 1997
An Act to provide fairness for parents and employees by providing remedies relating to the province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers between October 27 and November 7, 1997 and to make a complementary amendment to the Education Act
Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows: Interpretation and Application Application
1. (1) This Act applies with respect to schools, and child care facilities and day nurseries located on the premises of schools, that were affected by a province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers from October 27 to November 7, 1997. Exception, lawful strike
(2) This Act does not apply with respect to the period beginning on November 3 and ending on November 7, 1997 at schools affected by the strike by the branch affiliates of The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and l'Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens against The York Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board that was permitted under the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiations Act. Interpretation
2. Expressions in this Act relating to education and the school system have the same meaning as in the Education Act unless the context requires otherwise. Payments to Parents and Guardians Eligibility
3. (1) A child is an eligible child for the purposes of this section if, on October 27, 1997,
(a) he or she was 13 years of age or less and was enrolled in a school;
(b) he or she was enrolled in school and was receiving special education programs or services because he or she had been identified as an exceptional pupil (but not solely as a gifted pupil) or because school staff considered that he or she had special needs; or
(c) he or she was registered in a child care facility or day nursery located on the premises of a school. Entitlement to payment
(2) A parent or guardian of one or more eligible children is entitled to the payment determined under this section for each school day during the period beginning on October 27 and ending on November 7, 1997 on which an eligible child ordinarily resided with the parent or guardian and on which,
(a) a school at which any of his or her eligible children was enrolled was closed;
(b) a child care facility or day nursery (located on the premises of a school) at which any of his or her eligible children was registered was closed;
(c) the special education programs or services usually provided to any of his or her eligible children described in clause (1) (b) were not available;
(d) any of his or her eligible children was, in the parent's or guardian's opinion, unable to enter the school, child care facility or day nursery or was, in his or her opinion, unlikely to be safely supervised there; or
(e) the school bus transportation usually used by any of his or her eligible children to travel to school was not available. Exception, teachers
(3) If an eligible child ordinarily resides with a parent or guardian who is a teacher who participated in the province-wide withdrawal of services, the teacher and any other person with whom the teacher ordinarily resides who is also a parent or guardian of the child are not entitled to payment in respect of that child for the school days on which the teacher participated in the withdrawal of services. Amount of payment
(4) A parent or guardian is entitled to be paid the lesser of $40 or the amount that he or she claims for each school day during the period beginning on October 27 and ending on November 7, 1997 on which any of the circumstances described in subsection (2) existed. Application for payment
(5) A parent or guardian who wishes to receive a payment under this section shall submit a completed application by the prescribed deadline in respect of his or her eligible children. Same
(6) The application may be submitted to any board that operates a school in which one or more of his or her eligible children was enrolled on October 27, 1997, or, if any of the children was registered in a child care facility or day nursery, to the board that operates the school where the facility or nursery is located. Same
(7) Only one application may be submitted with respect to the same school day for the eligible children who ordinarily reside with the applicant. Same
(8) The application must be submitted on a form approved by the Minister of Education and Training or it must be made in writing and contain the information required on an approved form. Offence
(9) A person who knowingly submits false information on an application for payment is guilty of an offence. Duty to pay
(10) A board that receives a completed application submitted by the prescribed deadline shall pay the applicant the amount to which he or she is entitled under this section. List of affected schools and school days
(11) Each board shall prepare a list for each school and each child care facility and day nursery located on the premises of a school that indicates the school days on which the school, facility or nursery was closed during the period beginning on October 27 and ending on November 7, 1997 as a result of the province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers. Same
(12) Each board shall make its lists available at its head office for inspection and copying during that office's normal working hours and shall make the lists available to the public by such other means as the Minister of Education and Training may direct. Directives, etc.
(13) The Minister of Education and Training may issue such directives to boards and establish such procedures as he or she considers advisable to carry out the intent and purpose of this section. Same
(14) The Minister's directives and procedures are not regulations within the meaning of the Regulations Act. Duty to comply
(15) A board shall comply with the Minister's directives and procedures. Prohibitions Prohibition, employers
4. (1) No employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall dismiss or discipline an employee because the employee was, on any day during the period beginning on October 27 and ending on November 7, 1997, unable to perform some or all of his or her duties because the employee was engaged in caring for his or her eligible child (within the meaning of subsection 3 (1)) because of a circumstance described in clause 3 (2) (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e). Prohibition
(2) No employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall dismiss or discipline an employee because the employee requested permission to be absent from work or to restrict his or her duties in order to care for an eligible child in the circumstances and during the period described in subsection (1). Prohibition
(3) No employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall dismiss or discipline an employee because he or she seeks to enforce this Act. Same
(4) A complaint under this section may be made in respect of an action taken either before or after this Act comes into force. Restriction
(5) Subsection (1) applies only if the employee notified the employer in advance that he or she would be unable to perform some or all of his or her duties. Same
(6) Subsection (1) does not apply with respect to a teacher who, on the applicable day, was participating in the province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers. Salary
(7) Subsection (1) shall not be interpreted to require an employer to pay salary to an employee in respect of time during which the employee was absent from work. Evidence
(8) An employer may require an employee to provide evidence that the circumstances described in subsection (1) existed on the applicable day and that the employee's inability to perform some or all of his or her duties was caused by those circumstances; the employer may also make reasonable inquiries respecting those matters. Burden of proof
(9) The onus is on the employee to prove that subsection (6) does not apply with respect to his or her complaint. Collective agreement
(10) If the employer has entered into or is bound by the terms of a collective agreement with respect to an employee, subsections (1), (2) and (3) are enforceable as if they were terms of the collective agreement,
(a) if the contravention of the applicable subsection is alleged to have occurred when the collective agreement is in force; or
(b) if the contravention of the applicable subsection is alleged to have occurred when the terms of the collective agreement apply. No collective agreement
(11) If subsection (10) does not apply, an employee may file a complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board that subsection (1), (2) or (3) has been contravened, and the Board shall determine the matter. Jurisdiction
(12) The Ontario Labour Relations Board has jurisdiction to determine a complaint by a Crown employee that the Crown has contravened subsection (1), (2) or (3). Burden of proof, complaint
(13) If a complaint that subsection (1) has been contravened is filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the onus is on the employee to prove that his or her inability to perform some or all of his or her duties resulted from the circumstances described in subsection (1). Same
(14) Once the employee proves the matters required by subsection (13), the onus is on the employer to prove that he, she or it did not dismiss or discipline the employee for the prohibited reason. Prohibition, teachers' unions
5. (1) A teachers' union shall not suspend, expel or penalize a teacher or otherwise act in a manner that is arbitrary, discriminatory or in bad faith in the representation of a teacher because the teacher,
(a) did not support a teachers' union in preparing for the province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers;
(b) opposed proposals that teachers withdraw their services;
(c) did not withdraw his or her services or did not continue his or her withdrawal of services;
(d) crossed or attempted to cross a picket line established in connection with the province-wide withdrawal of services by teachers;
(e) counselled another teacher against withdrawing his or her services or assisted another teacher who continued to provide services; or
(f) counselled another teacher to comply with the terms of the collective agreement applicable to him or her or to comply with the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiations Act. Enforcement
(2) A teacher may file a complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board that subsection (1) has been contravened, and the Board shall determine the matter. Burden of proof
(3) If a complaint that subsection (1) has been contravened is filed with the Board, the onus is on the teachers' union to prove that its actions were not taken for a prohibited reason. Definition
(4) In this section,
"teachers' union" means The Ontario Teachers' Federation, an affiliate or a branch affiliate within the meaning of the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiations Act or a designated bargaining agent under Part X.1 of the Education Act. General OLRB powers and procedures
6. (1) Sections 110 to 118 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 apply with necessary modifications with respect to anything the Ontario Labour Relations Board does under this Act. No panels
(2) A decision, determination or order of the Board under this Act shall be made,
(a) by the chair or, if the chair is absent or unable to act, by the alternate chair; or
(b) by a vice-chair selected by the chair in his or her sole discretion or, if the chair is absent or unable to act, selected by the alternate chair in his or her sole discretion. Labour relations officers
(3) The Board may authorize a labour relations officer to inquire into any matter that comes before it under this Act and to endeavour to settle it. Rules to expedite proceedings
(4) In relation to any proceeding under this Act, the Board has the same powers to make rules to expedite proceedings as the Board has under subsection 110 (18) of the Labour Relations Act, 1995. Statutory Powers Procedure Act
(5) Rules made under subsection (4) apply despite anything in the Statutory Powers Procedure Act. Regulations Act
(6) Rules made under subsection (4) are not regulations within the meaning of the Regulations Act. Interim orders
(7) The Board may make interim orders with respect to a matter that is or will be the subject of a proceeding under this Act. Timing of decisions, etc.
(8) The Board shall make decisions, determinations and orders under this Act in an expeditious fashion. Finality
(9) A decision, determination or order of the Board is final and binding for all purposes. Application of other provisions
(10) Subsections 96 (4), (6) and (7) and sections 122 and 123 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 apply, with necessary modifications, with respect to proceedings before the Board and decisions, determinations and orders of the Board under this Act. Arbitration Act, 1991
(11) The Arbitration Act, 1991 does not apply with respect to a proceeding before the Board under this Act. Education Act reserve funds
7. For the purposes only of sections 237 and 238 and a regulation made under section 239 of the Education Act, teachers who withdrew their services during the period beginning on October 27 and ending on November 7, 1997 shall be deemed to have been on strike on the applicable days. Payments by boards
8. (1) A board (other than the Metro Board or a board as defined in subsection 238 (1) of the Education Act) shall make the payments required by section 3 from its reserve under section 237 of the Education Act or, if there are insufficient funds in the reserve, from its general revenues. Reduction of s. 237 reserve
(2) The amount that a board is required to place in a reserve under section 237 of the Education Act is reduced by the amount paid from the reserve under subsection (1). Payments, other boards
(3) A board as defined in subsection 238 (1) of the Education Act shall make the payments required by section 3 from its general revenues. Same, Metro Board
(4) The Metro Board shall make the payments required by section 3 from its reserve under section 238 of the Education Act or, if there are insufficient funds in the reserve, from its general revenues. Same
(5) The Metro Board shall reimburse each board as defined in subsection 238 (1) of the Education Act for its payments under section 3; the reimbursement shall be paid from the Metro Board's reserve under section 238 of the Education Act or, if there are insufficient funds in the reserve, from its general revenues. Reduction of s. 238 reserve
(6) The amount that the Metro Board is required to place in a reserve under section 238 of the Education Act is reduced by the amount paid from the reserve under subsections (4) and (5). Definition
(7) In this section,
"Metro Board" means The Metropolitan Toronto School Board. Regulation
9. The Minister of Education and Training may, by regulation, establish a deadline for the purposes of subsections 3 (5) and (10). Amendment to the Education Act
10. The definition of "board" in subsection 238 (1) of the Education Act is repealed and the following substituted:
"board" means a board of education of an area municipality and The Metropolitan Toronto French-Language School Council. Repeal
11. (1) This Act is repealed on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor. Same
(2) A proclamation may relate to all or any portion of this Act and proclamations may be issued at different times. Commencement
12. This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent. Short title
13. The short title of this Act is the Fairness for Parents and Employees Act (Teachers' Withdrawal of Services), 1997.