Reaction at St. Clair College as strike deadline looms [Video]

St. Clair College students began their winter semester Monday under a cloud of uncertainty, with the threat of a faculty strike just days away.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), representing 14,000 faculty, librarians, and counsellors at 24 colleges across Ontario, issued a five-day strike notice on Friday.

If no agreement is reached by Thursday, staff star job action, disrupting classes and leaving students in limbo.

For students like Lynn Thai, the timing couldn’t be worse.

“Our semester is just starting. It’s going to impact our learning environment, and especially my program, since we mostly learn stuff in class,” the third-year animation student said.

“It’s definitely frustrating.”

Many students on campus told CTV News they hadn’t heard anything about the strike — while those who had largely shared Thai’s frustration.

“Some people are like, ‘Yay, no school!’ But I’m ready. I need [to be here] now,” said first-year student Alainna Hayward.