Ontario Education Workers Rally Over Funding Gap as Strike Votes Loom

Hundreds of teachers, students, and education workers gathered in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay on Saturday to demand increased funding for Ontario's public education system, according to CBC Toronto.

Protesters at the Queen's Park rally claimed the provincial government has underfunded public education by $6.5 billion since 2018. Demonstrators highlighted a report from Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office regarding the Ministry of Education’s 2026 spending plan, which indicates that per-student funding has reached its lowest level in a decade. Joe Tigani, President of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, stated in a news release that the system is at a "breaking point."

Those rallying called for improved working conditions for staff, smaller class sizes, and expanded support for students with special education needs. In contrast, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced in September that the province is providing $30.6 billion in core education funding.

These protests come as education workers have remained without a contract since their previous agreement expired at the end of August. Negotiations are currently stalled while the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) determines which issues will be handled through central bargaining—typically covering salary and benefits—and which will be left to local school boards and unions.

Emma Testani, press secretary for Minister Calandra, told CBC Toronto that the OLRB process has delayed bargaining and characterized strike threats as creating "unnecessary panic for parents." All major education unions in the province are scheduled to hold strike votes in November.