TORONTO — Schools were disrupted for 300,000 public elementary and high school students Monday as janitors and other support staff at Canada’s largest school board launched a strike for more wages.
At one of the 600 schools affected by the dispute between the Toronto District School Board and 13,000 custodians, secretaries, bus drivers and non-certified instructors, toilet paper was strung on tree branches, glass doors and windows were smashed, milk was poured on floors and eggs were thrown at the principal’s BMW.
“Windows are smashed, (there’s) cottage cheese, yogurt. Everything is disgusting,” one student told CFTO, Toronto’s CTV affiliate.
“Girls’ washrooms are flooded. Boys’ washrooms are flooded. Everything’s flooded.”
It was unclear who was behind the vandalism, but one worker protesting the board’s latest contract offer said it was not endorsed by the Canadian Public Employees Union.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had our school trashed, which is not what we asked for,” the unidentified woman said.
The board said it would keep its elementary and high schools open as long as they were safe and clean.
But John Weatherup, president CUPE Local 4400, insisted the schools are simply not safe.
