The Ontario Federation of Labour issued this media release on GlobeNewswire on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
TORONTO, Ontario, August 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) on behalf of our education affiliates is condemning Education Minister Paul Calandra’s suggestion to eliminate elected school boards, calling it a deliberate act of misdirection designed to shift attention away from the Ford government’s devastating record on education.
“This isn’t about fixing schools — it’s about deflecting blame,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “Minister Calandra knows parents, students, and workers are outraged over overcrowded classrooms, violence in schools, recruitment and retention, and crumbling infrastructure. Instead of admitting responsibility, he is dangling the elimination of school boards to stir up controversy and distract Ontarians from his government’s failures.”
The OFL warns that dismantling school boards would silence local voices, undermine community accountability, and hand even more unchecked power to a government already seizing control of Ontario’s largest boards.
“This is distraction, plain and simple,” Walton continued. “The Ford government is trying to convince Ontarians that trustees are the problem, when the real crisis was created by their own cuts and chronic underfunding. Our communities deserve real solutions — smaller classes, more supports for students, and safe schools — not another cynical power grab.”
The OFL calls on Ontarians to see through this ploy and to demand that the provincial government invest in public education instead of dismantling the democratic structures that protect it.
Signed by:
David Mastin
President, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
Joe Tigani
President, Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU)
Martha Hradowy
President, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
Laura Walton
President, Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
Ahmad Gaied
Secretary-Treasurer, Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
Jackie Taylor
Executive Vice-President, Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
Media Contact:
Jenny Sellathurai
Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
jsellathurai@ofl.ca | 647-222-1296
