I received an email today from a fellow teacher—we’ll call them Bob—who was frustrated that their colleague had volunteered to organize a school music concert. They argued that this kind of “volunteer culture” is what ruins working conditions, because it creates pressure for others to do the same. According to Bob, teachers doing unpaid work is the reason other teachers suffer.

As Vice President of the largest teachers’ union in Canada, I have the privilege of speaking with educators every day. I visit their classrooms, walk through their schools, and hear first-hand about their struggles and frustrations. But I also hear something else—skepticism.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has done some research into education funding.  Their estimate is that compared to 2018-19, school boards have received $1,500 less per student. The result is billions of dollars lost to education in Ontario.

Schools are collapsing under the weight of underfunding, and the results are undeniable: children with Individual Education Plans  (IEPs) not receiving the support they need, growing class sizes, and staff being stretched to their limits. These are not isolated issues. They are the direct result of seven years of cuts under Doug Ford.

Living in Toronto as a teacher earning $50,000 a year is an impossible task. When rents are averaging $3,000 a month, how can we sustain the educators who build the next generation? And it’s not just education—across Ontario, finding a family doctor feels like winning the lottery. ERs are closing, buildings are crumbling, and the systems that should protect us are collapsing.

Parents and teachers say schools are underfunded and understaffed, kids are being “abandoned” in mainstream classrooms in the name of inclusion, and neither the TDSB nor the province will take responsibility.

An increasing number of Ontario school boards are reporting deficits and are using or even depleting their reserves, according to internal Ministry of Education briefing documents.

Students thrive when they’re back at school with their peers learning the skills that they need to succeed. Our schools offer so much to our learners, but there are serious problems that can only be solved through adequate funding

In the largest city in one of the richest countries, Toronto's public school system should be world class. So why are students heading back to school in crumbling buildings without enough staff to meet their needs?

Educators crying in their cars, trying to convince themselves they can get through another day. Bite marks, bruises, and the daily fear of violence from the elementary students they teach.