Elementary teachers resume talks with province

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario is set to resume negotiations with the province on Tuesday, one week before young students head back to school.

Teachers with ETFO, which represents some 76,000 members, have been in a legal strike position since May 10. Provincial negotiations broke down a day later.

While ETFO hasn't staged a full strike, it implemented a work-to-rule campaign at the end of the last school year and plans to escalate it in September.Teachers will not participate in field trips, help raise moneyfor school activities or attend school open houses or "meet the teacher"nights outside of regular instructional hours, ETFO said.

Education Minister Liz Sandals has said the government is committed to making a deal with ETFO before school begins.

There are four key sticking points for ETFO in the provincial talksincluding wages, class size, preparation time and hiring practices.

The province recently reached agreements with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation and Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, moves some say could bode well for the ETFO talks.