Ontario education minister says teachers put contract negotiations on hold

Ontario's education minister says negotiations have halted with the union representing elementary school teachers.

Liz Sandals says there has been some progress in talks, but Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario has put negotiations on hold to look over some remaining issues.

She says the union didn't specify how long negotiations would be halted.

Sandals says she had been prepared to work through the long weekend.

Elementary teachers have been without a contract for more than a year, and on a work-to-rule campaign since May.

They launched the second phase of their campaign last month, at the beginning of the school year.

As part of the work-to-rule campaign, teachers are not participating in field trips or school fundraising, and are not collecting or distributing paperwork to students on behalf of their schools or school boards.