Ontario schools will soon welcome back more than two million students. In these exceptional times, schools need more educators to help students make up for lost time while adhering to health and safety measures. A lot is at stake. But despite Premier Ford’s claim that he’s doing everything he can…
Read more
An August 26 news release from Ontario’s Ministry of Education reads, “Today’s federal announcement provides $381 million to Ontario, on top of the nearly $900 million provided by the province to support provincial back-to-school plans.” This statement is disingenuously inaccurate. A more accurate headline would be, federal government to transfer…
Read more
In the age of COVID-19, where the unemployment rate is now estimated at 13.5% and many are struggling to pay next month’s rent, the necessity of suspending evictions, providing income supports for low-income households, and having a serious conversation about rent forgiveness couldn’t be clearer. A number of government measures…
Read more
(La version française se trouve ici) The Association des enseignants et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) represents French-language elementary and secondary teachers across Ontario. Last December, 97 per cent of AEFO’s members voted in support of strike action. In January, they initiated work-to-rule action. This week they are holding a one-day…
Read more
L’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) représente les enseignantes et enseignants et des travailleuses et travailleurs des écoles élémentaires et secondaires franco-ontariennes. En décembre, 97 pour cent des membres de l’AEFO ont voté pour un mandat de grève. En janvier, ils ont débuté une grève du zèle. À…
Read more
Previously, we have examined the board-by-board impact of larger class sizes and mandatory e-learning in Ontario schools. One blog estimated the number of teaching positions that will be eliminated in each board as a result of policies approved in Spring 2019; the other blog recalculated figures in response to Education…
Read more
In the past year and a half, the Ontario government has demanded that Ontarians sacrifice many vital public services to address an alleged fiscal crisis. But in a report released earlier this week, the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) shows that most of the savings from service cuts are not going…
Read more
The Ontario PC government has recently adopted a more moderate tone than the one struck in its first year at Queens Park, going so far as to back down on some of its more controversial funding cuts. The Fall Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, released on November 6, allows us…
Read more
In an earlier blog, we examined the board-by-board impact of Minister Lecce’s bargaining table offer to raise high school class sizes from 22 to 25. While this marks a smaller jump than the currently approved policy, it is still an increase, regardless of the Minister’s insistence that this is an…
Read more
On October 24, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce held a press conference to update the public on ongoing contract talks with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. The Minister repeatedly stated that his government is offering to lower high school class sizes from 28 to 25 students per teacher. He…
Read more