With schools reopening next week, more than 275,000 teachers and education workers across Ontario will return to the classroom without a contract after their existing terms expired Monday (Aug. 31).
The situation is impacting employees at public elementary and secondary schools, including Catholic and francophone institutions.
In a Sept. 1 statement, leaders from the province’s five big education unions said they first engaged the province in March in hopes of finding a quick agreement.
“Instead of engaging in negotiations early… and showing a real commitment to stability and improving student success and wellbeing [education minister Paul] Calandra dismissed our call and confidently announced he was ‘optimistic’ deals could be reached before Labour Day. He was wrong,” the unions said.
Last month, Calandra told the CBC he was confident a deal could be reached.
“We remain committed to getting a negotiated settlement, so teachers have certainty, parents have certainty, and students have the best opportunity to succeed,” Calandra said. “My focus is clear: putting student achievement first and giving every student the opportunity to succeed.”
Mike De Rose, president of the local Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) union, said the standoff shouldn’t impact back-to-school preparations for parents.
“School will begin normally and I don’t think parents should approach the start of the year fearful of an imminent strike,” De Rose said, noting there are several legal steps before a strike can occur, including bargaining, conciliation, initiating a strike vote and, if successful, posting advance notice.
“Our objective in bargaining is an agreement, not a strike,” De Rose added.
He said his union represents approximately 650 teachers across 40 schools within Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB). While ETFO bargains on behalf of members on key issues at the provincial level, De Rose said there will be negotiations with TLDSB over local issues.
He said teachers have been consistent about the problems they want addressed, with priorities centred around safer schools, sustainable workloads and better supports for students.
“Those issues overlap considerably. When students don’t have timely access to educational assistants, mental health professionals, special education resources and other supports, those needs don’t disappear. Increasingly, they’re downloaded into classrooms,” De Rose said.
Last month, Calandra announced the government will open 35 new and expanded schools this year. He said the additions would add 18,000 more student spaces and over 1,000 childcare spaces for young families.
On teachers, Calandra said he felt it was essential that all parties have a clear mind of what issues will be negotiated centrally, and what will flow down to the local level, before bargaining begins. He said all parties are aligned.
“We all have the same interests in mind, which is to the students,” he said.
Investment needed
De Rose noted that, when adjusted for inflation, public education funding has been cut $6.3 billion since premier Doug Ford assumed office in 2018. Eight years ago, the province invested about $29 billion in schools with that number increasing to almost $31 billion as of the 2026-27 fiscal year. Inflation increased 26.51 per cent nationally between those dates, according to the Bank of Canada.
With teachers tasked with doing more with less, De Rose believes the current system is failing some students. He notes there’s been a marked increase in violent incidents inside the classroom in the past decade.
TLDSB reported that, during the 202425 school year, there were 922 reported incidents of student aggression. De Rose said that was the largest category of reported workplace incidents from unionized members, though he’s not sure it captures the full picture.
“We know violent incidents are often under-reported, so the real number is much higher,” he said. “This isn’t about blaming children… the answer is to make sure schools have enough qualified adults, special education resources, mental health supports, behavioural expertise and programming to meet their needs.” The ETFO conducted a bargaining survey of the membership over the summer and will be consulting with members through September. His hope is to avoid a long, drawn-out stalemate – something he’s hearing from colleagues, too.
“I wouldn’t characterize what I’m hearing from teachers as an appetite to strike. Teachers want to teach. What there is an appetite for is change,” De Rose said.
“Our members are increasingly frustrated by a publicly funded education system that asks educators to manage larger and more complex needs without always providing the staffing and resources necessary to do that successfully,” he added.
The negotiations are also impacting more than 500 secondary school teachers, supply staff and professional student services personnel at TLDSB’s seven high schools.
Calandra’s press secretary, Emma Testani, said the ministry was still waiting to hear what issues will be negotiated locally.
“Those decisions are still underway, with some unions choosing to bring this matter to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. We respect their decision to do so and, at all times, are ready to continue discussions on the scope of central versus local issues before proceeding to the next stage of negotiations,” Testani said.
