JASON SETNYK
Education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are calling on the provincial government to begin collective bargaining early, warning that chronic underfunding and staffing shortages are placing increasing strain on schools across Eastern Ontario.
The Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) and CUPE Local 4154, which represents more than 800 education workers at the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO), have issued the call, urging the Ford government and Education Minister Paul Calandra to allow negotiations to begin months ahead of the current agreement’s expiry at the end of August.
“There can be no ‘business as usual’ while education workers and students bear the brunt of chronic underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, president of the OSBCU. “Early bargaining is critical to stabilizing our schools and addressing the staffing crisis before it becomes even more severe.”
Union leaders say schools across the province are already struggling to meet students’ needs because of years of inadequate funding and understaffing.
They warn that school boards have begun cautioning CUPE locals that layoffs could occur ahead of the 2026-27 school year once current job-protection agreements expire.
Trudy Scott, president of CUPE Local 4154, said conditions within CDSBEO schools have become increasingly difficult to manage.
“It is critical that we move to the bargaining table as soon as possible,” said Scott. “The reality in CDSBEO schools has become increasingly unmanageable, and the current funding formula is simply not working.”
Scott said schools lack sufficient funding to ensure custodial coverage when students are present, to guarantee early childhood educators in every kindergarten classroom, and to provide adequate classroom support, supervision, and office staffing.
According to CUPE-OSBCU, Minister Calandra could authorize early bargaining through regulation as soon as March, allowing negotiations to begin up to 180 days before the agreement expires.
In response, a spokesperson for Calandra said the existing labour relations framework already allows negotiations to begin 90 days before contracts expire.
The ministry indicated that timeline should provide enough time for both sides to reach “a fair and reasonable agreement” before the current agreement ends in August.
The Ontario government has previously stated that it is making record investments in education, announcing $30.3 billion in funding for the 2025-26 school year in August 2025. The province said the funding would support more than two million students across Ontario and included plans to open 41 new or expanded schools to provide additional learning space.
“Our goal is clear: to provide students with the opportunity to succeed and grow, and ensure teachers have the resources and environment they need to inspire learning and help students thrive,” said Calandra at the time.
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