VANCOUVER — British Columbia's highest court is set to release its ruling on a long-standing dispute between the province and teachers, who waged a lengthy strike last summer.
The decision by the B.C. Court of Appeal involves a protracted fight over teachers' right to bargain class size and composition.
A judge has twice ruled that the province violated teachers' charter rights when it passed legislation in 2002 stripping class size and composition provisions from their collective agreement.
The province appealed the latest ruling, arguing it robbed the government of its ability to set education policy, and a hearing was held last fall.
The issue was one of the main sticking points in last year's strike, which closed schools early in June and delayed the start of classes in September until the teachers' union signed a six-year deal.
A court decision in the union's favour could reopen bargaining on class size and composition, but the case is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The B.C. government has acknowledged that an expensive loss could impact its balanced budget.
Among the "major risks" is "the outcome of litigation, arbitrations and negotiations with third parties, including the appeal of the B.C. Supreme Court decision on the teachers’ contract issue," says the 2015-2018 budget and fiscal plan.
Premier Christy Clark, who was education minister in 2002, shrugged off questions about whether the province regrets its actions toward teachers, saying her government has always fought to protect kids in education.
"Despite all the fighting that happens between all the adults, British Columbia has the best education outcomes in the country and some of the best outcomes in the world," she told reporters Wednesday.
"I suppose if you want to judge education by how many times issues land in the court, you'd get a different picture of it."
