The fall session of the Nova Scotia legislature is over, one month after it began, and the government is still no closer to a contract with the more than 9,000 public school teachers.
Both sides in the teachers dispute are not negotiating.
“I would say to all parents and students that it is our goal as government to make sure that teachers are still in front of their students in the classrooms,” says Nova Scotia Education Minster Karen Casey.
On Thursday, education department staff met with school board superintendents to talk working conditions. The Nova Scotia Teachers Union say they are sitting this one out.
“NSTU represents teachers and if the government is not listening to NSTU, the government is not listening to teachers,” says NSTU president Liette Doucet.
The union is in a legal strike position in less than a month, which is not sitting well with those who would feel the effects of potential job action.
“I'm worried, I think they should be sitting down and having some sort of discussion,” says parent Jason Hollingsworth. “I have two young guys in school and I wouldn't want to see them out of school.”
There also wasn’t work done to revamp the senior’s pharmacare program during the fall session. Changes to the program were introduced last winter and then were reversed after it was revealed some seniors would see their premiums triple.
The N.S. government wanted the program to be reworked and rolled out by early 2017, but now the Health Minister says it won't happen in the next budget year.
“It's getting very close and you'll see very shortly we'll have the full picture of the nature of consultations,” says Nova Scotia Health Minster Leo Glavine.
Glavine also says he won't put a timeline on consulting with seniors, but seniors groups say they want action.
“Be thoroughly consulted and involved in the process at looking at what we need to do to get the best pharmacare program,” says Bill Van Gorder of CARP Nova Scotia.
CARP says the wait for a new program is frustrating, but it looks like seniors will have to continue waiting.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie