News

Stop Ford’s cuts to Ontario schools.

(TORONTO, ON) – The government’s proposed education funding cuts and changes to class sizes and curriculum will compromise learning for students across the province, while violating collective agreements, says OFL. “Increasing class sizes at any grade level means fewer educators to provide individual learning, compromising the quality of education for Ontario’s next generation,” said Ontario…

The OFL mourns the passing of Edith Mary Johnston, one of the first five female vice-presidents elected to the OFL in 1983. She was 98. “Edith Mary Johnston was a trailblazer,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Her life’s work for fairness and equality at work is an example of change in action,…

Government must take steps to ensure violence against women and girls ends, says OFL Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates in an op-ed at simcoe.com. Every two-and-a-half days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. Statistics show that, overwhelmingly, it is men who are responsible for that killing. Ninety-five per cent of spousal homicide victims…

Download the nomination form here. This annual award is to acknowledge and celebrate individuals or groups who have made a significant or ongoing contribution to the advancement of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (2SLGBTQI+) human rights, equity and inclusion, who are leaders in advancing equality and quality of life for 2SLGBTQI+…

(TORONTO, ON) – Union leaders held a press conference today at the Ontario Legislature calling on the Ford government to hold public consultations across Ontario on its sweeping health care restructuring law. Bill 74 is the Ford government’s omnibus health care legislation in which the government has given itself and its appointees in its new…

(TORONTO, ON) – Action, not consultation is what will close the gender pay gap, says the Ontario Federation of Labour. “The gender pay gap has been widely studied. The OFL has already submitted comprehensive recommendations to ensure pay equity for all Ontario workers,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Instead of consulting with…

(TORONTO, ON) – The Ontario Federation of Labor (OFL) is sounding the alarm after Ontario’s PC government introduced sweeping health care reform legislation, which they call the “People’s Health Care Act, 2019.” “What is perfectly clear is that large for-profit health care corporations, not the people of Ontario will benefit from the changes this new…

(TORONTO, ON) – Calling it a “bombshell”: the Ontario Health Coalition and the Ontario Federation of Labour responded to a leaked document revealing a draft health care legislation written by the Ford government in secret that would create a “super agency” with extraordinary powers to restructure Ontario’s entire health care system. The Ontario NDP opened…

Download the poster The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Canada and the Ontario Federation of Labour are celebrating African Liberation and Black History Month by launching a new series: Legacies of Labour and Community Activism. The Legacies series honours the historical achievements of African Canadians and features the ongoing contributions of activists in the Black community. Generations…

(TORONTO, ON) – The Ontario Federation of Labour demands that the Premier throw out the draft legislation leaked today and scrap all plans for the privatization of health care in Ontario. The leaked draft includes the government’s plan for creating a super-agency with extraordinary powers over the delivery of health care across Ontario. “By destroying…

(TORONTO, ON) – The Ontario Federation of Labour condemns the Ford government for rendering post-secondary education less accessible to low-income students and opposes the direct assault on student democracy. “The OFL stands in solidarity with students across the province. This is an affront to democracy and access to post-secondary education. Education is a right, not…

(TORONTO, ON) The Ontario Federation of Labour is joining the call of education unions in Ontario to support and properly fund Ontario’s public education systems. Education has the power to define and change a person’s life. The hard work and dedication of educators and support staff and their ability to shape the minds of our…

(TORONTO, ON) Women across Ontario are joining the global march for equality on Saturday, January 19, demanding change from the Ontario government. Women march to bring awareness to the changes needed to build a safer, more inclusive Ontario. Women are sending a clear message to policymakers that “We will not go back.” There are more…

Any moves by the Ford government to privatize health care in Ontario would be a disaster for this province. Unless our government improves publicly funded and delivered health care, they are condemning Ontarians to painful choices when they are at their most vulnerable. “Doug Ford has consistently undermined protections for Ontarians including the right to…

(TORONTO, ON) – The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) urges the Doug Ford government to take immediate action on the clear recommendation of Justice Michael Tulloch to put an end to the practice of arbitrary or “random” carding. Justice Tulloch confirmed what community and labour organizations have stated for years. The impacts of arbitrary police carding are felt…

1.7 million workers lost a $1/hr raise on New Year’s Day. For families across Ontario, that means hardship, working several part-time jobs to make ends meet, and hard choices about their day-to-day lives. New Year’s Day was scheduled to be the day minimum-wage workers in Ontario got a $1/hr raise to $15/hr, until the Ford…

Ontarians should be deeply concerned at the speed and the manner with which the Ford government brushes away Charter rights by using back-to-work legislation, says the Ontario Federation of Labour. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the rights of all Canadians. “Charter rights must be upheld in all cases, they are fundamental to democracy,”…