B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender says that the striking teachers’ union and employers’ association are talking with mediator Vince Ready about resuming negotiations.

“My hope has been, continues to be, as does the premier, that we are able to get back at the table to get a mediated settlement, to have the involvement of someone like Vince Ready so we can actually drill down to what are the stumbling blocks in the key issues,” Fassbender said.

A vote held yesterday by the B.C. teachers’ union came back in favour of going to binding arbitration, but Fassbender and other government representatives made it clear that binding arbitration was not an option they would consider.