TORONTO, ON – Despite expected growing surpluses over the next few years, the Ford government continues to underfund public education in Ontario. The fall economic statement delivered today ignores the needs of students and educators, and is another missed opportunity to undo damaging cuts to public education.

“In its 2023 budget, the Ford government had the opportunity to strengthen public education in Ontario, but chose, instead, to make cuts to services that impact student success and well-being,” says Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) President Karen Brown. “And now, with its fall economic statement, we’re seeing the same refusal to prioritize public education. They must reverse the cuts and deliver the funding Ontario students deserve.”

This past weekend, Premier Doug Ford made it clear that he has no idea what “school boards actually do” when he dismissed their law-abiding efforts to protect 2SLGBTQ+ students’ rights. In an attempt to deflect from the ongoing Greenbelt scandal, he made dangerous, inflammatory remarks that put students, educators, and others at risk of great harm.

In a perfect climate, all students go home to a safe and supportive environment, but we know this isn’t the case for all. Teachers and other education workers work every single day to ensure the safety of all students in schools across the province. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) members work each day to ensure quality public education that may include resources that support 2SLGTBQ+ students and their families.

TORONTO, ON – Close to 700 public elementary educators will attend the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) between August 14 and 17, 2023, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

ETFO’s first annual meeting was held 25 years ago in 1998. At that meeting, ETFO was formed—a new union that brought together the Federation of Women Teachers’ Associations of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Teachers’ Federation. Since its formation, ETFO has been able to win many improvements in working conditions, defend members’ rights, make equity and social justice a key priority, and protect public education.

TORONTO, ON – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board against the government over its refusal to bargain in good faith.

ETFO’s complaint, filed on August 8, 2023, cites that the government violated its obligation under bargaining legislation to negotiate in good faith when on July 28, 2023, it released Program/Policy Memorandum 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening (PPM 168).

TORONTO, ON – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), the unions representing more than 125,000 teachers and education workers in publicly funded schools across Ontario, have released the following statement in response to the new Policy/Program Memorandum 168 – Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening (PPM 168), which was released Friday without notice by the Ford Conservative government.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has repeatedly claimed that “stability is critical to Ontario students,” but his government continues to introduce sweeping changes without providing the necessary time and resources for proper implementation. These changes will violate collective agreements when the new requirements mandated through policy memorandum are implemented, ignoring the collective bargaining rights of the professionals who care for and teach students across Ontario.

The Canadian House of Commons designated August 1 as Emancipation Day in 2021. This day commemorates the enactment of the Slavery Abolition Act across British colonies in 1834 and serves as an important reminder that slavery was once part of Canadian society.

TORONTO, ON – Changes to the updated Language curriculum are substantial, especially in the areas of reading and media literacy. In addition, the Language curriculum is no longer organized under the strands of Reading, Writing, Oral Communication, and Media Literacy.

These changes are significant and educators need sufficient time, dedicated resources, and sustained professional learning opportunities to properly implement any new or revised curriculum. To support this, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is calling for a minimum two-year implementation period.