In the view of Ontario’s education minister, it appears as if teachers are taking more sick days because they lost the right to bank them and take a payout on retirement.

The Wynne government says it saved $1-billion immediately by eliminating teachers’ ability to bank sick days in 2012, plus another $625-million the following three years.

But teachers are calling in sick more since the benefit changes, costing school boards millions to hire supply teachers.

Education Minister Liz Sandals says there seems to be a link.

”There were a lot of people who believed that they had lost a retirement gratuity and therefore reacted.  It would appear that there is a relationship between the belief that you lost something and taking more sick days.”

She adds ”there’s no reason to believe that they’re actually sicker than they were two years ago.”

The education minister says recent contract agreements with two teachers unions included plans to address teacher absenteeism.