It has now been confirmed that at least two school boards in Ontario have made a decision that schools will close in the event of a full strike by education workers.

Some 55,000 members represented by the Ontario School Board Council of Unions under CUPE will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. on November 3.

However, the union will have to provide five days' notice of any potential strike, which is likely to delay any work stoppage.

So far, most public school boards have been very silent about the potential impact of a strike, if it happens, on in-person learning.

But in separate correspondence sent to parents on Friday, both the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic School Board confirmed that they would not be able to keep school buildings open if all CUPE school members walked off the job simultaneously.

This news comes shortly after the announcement by the president of the CUPE Ontario school board council, union president Laura Walton, to CP24 that members are likely to engage in a full strike if talks with the Ministry of Education continue without achieving anything.

She explained that "at 12:01 a.m., if we are in a full strike position, there will be no caretakers even to change the garbage, and there will be no educational assistants in schools, early childhood educators, secretaries and IT, or anyone covered by CUPE.

Adding, "The goal is to get a deal, but in the absence of a deal, there will be a full strike."

CUPE began participating in talks with a neutral mediator last week but the sessions collapsed after only two days.

Talks are now scheduled to resume on Tuesday, leaving only two full days of negotiations before both the union and the government are in a legal strike/lockout position.

It is worth noting that the union is asking for an annual wage increase of $3.25/hour (11.7 percent), early childhood educators in every kindergarten class, five additional paid days before the school year starts, and 30 minutes of daily preparation time for all its members.

Meanwhile, the Ford government offered a four-year deal including a 2 percent annual increase for employees earning less than $40,000 and a 1.25 percent annual wage increase for those earning more.

On the other hand, Walton said she believes the ministry will try to keep schools open in the event of work-to-rule, but she said she is skeptical about the possibility of doing so successfully.

Previously, Education Minister Stephen Lecce described his government's offers as "reasonable" and urged CUPE to come forward with a counter-proposal that is "cost-effective and fairer" than what they have presented so far.

In a statement provided to CP24 on Friday, Lecce accused the union entirely but confirmed "they will strike if they do not get nearly a 50 percent increase in compensation."

Explaining, "While this union puts their own interests ahead of children, we will ensure Ontario students remain in the classroom."

In a statement provided to CP24 on Friday, the Toronto District School Board said it "is not in a position to speculate about a strike - if any - that might be taken"

And also its impact on schools. The statement said: "We still hope all parties can reach a collective agreement that avoids any impact on classrooms."

It is worth mentioning that CUPE is one of five unions in the education sector currently without a contract in Ontario, with its members voting 96.5 percent in favor of a strike mandate earlier this month.