BC's education minister welcomes Ontario teachers facing job cuts

BC is opening its doors to Ontario teachers facing job cuts.

Provincial Education Minister Rob Flemming told Daily Hive British Columbia is welcoming out-of-province teachers right now with open arms, as the province is in the midst of a hiring spree.

“Anyone from Ontario who finds themselves looking at a BC school district that might be hiring is more than welcome,” said Flemming in a statement.

See also

• Massive 'rally for education' planned as Ford government plans to cut thousands of teaching jobs
• Province-wide student walkout planned to protest OSAP changes
• Students plan province-wide walkout to protest Doug Ford's education changes

According to memos acquired by the Toronto Star, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his  Conservative government plan to cut 3,475 teaching jobs in the province.

Additional changes to Ontario’s education system include increases in class sizes for high schools, which will go up to 28 students per class, according to Education Minister Lisa Thompson.

Last week, students across Ontario participated in mass walkouts to protest the Ford government’s education cuts.

According to information from the BC Ministry of Education, 480 teachers have come to BC from teacher education programs in Ontario since 2018.

Currently, there are about 300 postings available for teaching positions in BC.

“Obviously we are going in a vastly different direction than Ontario is,” said Flemming.

“We’re reducing class sizes here, making more enrolling teachers available, hiring specialist teachers.”

The BC Public School Employer’s Association (BCPSEA) is currently actively recruiting in Ontario.

Later this month, the BCPSEA will be recruiting for 10 BC school districts at a hiring fair in Toronto.