Overview
- Major unions representing more than 255,000 teachers and education workers formally served notice to open four‑year collective‑bargaining talks with the provincial government.
- The province must begin negotiations within 15 days under the law, a procedural deadline that does not ensure a quick deal and leaves contracts that expire on Aug. 31 vulnerable to disruption.
- Unions say the talks will focus on shrinking class sizes and adding educational assistants, social workers, nurses and child‑and‑youth workers to meet rising student needs and safety concerns in schools.
- Union leaders are preparing for strike votes if progress stalls while the government says it is optimistic a negotiated settlement can keep students in class.
- Unions point to a think‑tank analysis they say shows $6.4 billion in underfunding since 2018 and say a recent shift to negotiating with the Council of Ontario Directors of Education will not change the core fight over funding and supports.