A day after B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the government and the teachers' union weren't "even close" to a deal, the provincial government has agreed to accept Vince Ready as mediator.
The B.C. Teachers' Federation has been calling for Ready's appointment since Thursday, saying he is the only hope for a timely solution after that day's announcement there had been no progress in the previous two days of bargaining.
However, the veteran mediator is away and it's still unclear whether he is willing to accept an appointment. The government and the BCTF would also need to work out his terms of reference.
Despite months of bargaining and ongoing teachers' strikes, the two sides are still far apart on the monetary aspects of a deal, including the key issues of wages, class size and composition.
The provincial government claims the union's latest proposal equates to double the cost of the average public sector contract in combined wages, benefits and signing bonus.
B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender has used the phrase "affordability zone" to describe contracts already signed by 150,000 other public sector employees.
At a teachers' rally that attracted nearly a thousand supporters to downtown Vancouver Thursday night, several speakers from organized labour lent their voices the teachers' call for a mediated settlement.