With more than 99 per cent of the B.C. teachers’ vote coming back in favour of the option, B.C. Teachers’ Federation President Jim Iker again renewed the call for the government to enter into binding arbitration to end the months-long teachers’ strike.

“Tonight, B.C. teachers voted overwhelmingly to back to call for binding arbitration that would see an end to the strike and open our schools,” Iker said.

Out of the province’s roughly 41,000 teachers, 30,669 cast ballots in the BCTF’s internal vote.

Iker said 30,490 of those ballots—99.4 per cent—came back as “yes” votes for binding arbitration.

“Tomorrow morning, custodial staff could be pulling chairs off desks, teachers could be setting up their classrooms, school counsellors could be finalizing their timetables … and classes could start this week and our children could be learning,” he said.

Under the proposal, issues around class size and composition would not go to arbitration, but would instead be resolved in an ongoing court case.

Iker said, the B.C. government’s refusal to go to binding arbitration is now the only thing blocking that back-to-school reality from happening.

“We ask you again, to change your mind,” he said.