Prince George, B.C. – After weeks of no talks, both sides in the teachers dispute are scheduled to meet in Victoria this afternoon.

And even though they won’t be bargaining it’s renewed hope that it could possibly lead to a new deal.

“I’m happy that we seem to be moving forward. Not sure what it means for our membership or for parents but it’s a step and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that we can hopefully be back to work sooner rather than later,” says President of the Prince George & District Teachers Association Tina Cousins.

“Hopefully the culmination of this conference is going to be that they’re going to go for mediation with Vince Ready.”

Cousins admits the strike is taking it’s toll on teachers.

“It’s never easy when money is involved. I know our members are struggling. Many of them are working other jobs and newer teachers just starting in the profession have other jobs until they get more stable with their employment.”