Close to 300 teachers and staff from the Avon Maitland District School Board Teacher's Federation staged a rally in front of Education Minister, Lisa Thompson's constituency office in Blyth on Friday afternoon.
OSSTF District 8 President Shane Restall says their goal was to let Thompson know that not everyone shares her vision of larger classes and mandatory e-learning. Restall says Thompson doesn't seem to be listening to them so they're hoping to make a point by rallying in front of her office, noting “We're hoping to send a message to the Minister that not everyone shares the vision for large class sizes and e-learning. She doesn't seem to be listening to us and we're trying to make a point with gathering here in front of her office today.”
Restall says Thompson wasn't in her office on Friday. They were told she was in Toronto, adding “We have another chance, if you missed the afternoon in Blyth, you can join us next week in Stratford in front of Randy Pettapiece's office, so if we didn't catch you in Blyth, hopefully we'll catch you in Stratford.”