TORONTO - Union president Sam Hammond says about 2,000 Toronto public elementary school teachers joined a demonstration Tuesday evening outside the Ministry of Education offices.

Police diverted traffic around the site as the teachers protested Bill 115 — controversial legislation that allowed the governing Liberals to impose new contracts on teachers.

The province has vowed to repeal Bill 115 it now that it has served its purpose, but the teachers call the legislation "draconian" and say it trampled their democratic rights.

Elementary teachers across the province had planned a mass demonstration last Friday but cancelled it at the last minute after the Ontario Labour Relations Board deemed it an illegal strike.

Members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, which represents public high school teachers, plan similar protests Wednesday at the offices of MPPs across the province.

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