Your Federation - Annual Meeting 2026
ETFO President David Mastin
ETFO president David Mastin welcomed delegates to the 2026 Annual Meeting, addressing the genesis of the issues faced by workers in the public education system.
“$6.5 billion has been cut from our public schools by this government in the last eight years. That is where our problem lies,” he said. “The core of the problem is a government that refuses to invest. These cuts have a particular impact on communities that are already marginalized. They feel these cuts more than anybody.”
The president spoke about the shared values and solidarity inherent to ETFO’s work, and the necessity of putting equity at the centre of all we do, even as the Federation bargains for improvements to salaries and benefits. “You can’t do one without the other. Part of our togetherness is recognizing the differential impact of cuts,” said Mastin. “The impact of oppression is brought into our classrooms through both students and educators. We will work together to lift everyone up.”
ETFO has an important role in the labour movement, Mastin said, fighting for the right of everyone to fair pay, decent working conditions and access to sick leave, which he expects the government to try to erode during bargaining.
The government is out of touch and seems to be spending as little time in the legislature as possible, he noted, then told delegates that when they returned from their 21-week break, the MPPs were met by 55,000 ETFO postcards saying, “we have had enough.”
While ETFO would prefer a government that cares about education, public services and working people, Mastin said, over the next few months members can expect to hear the government blame teachers and educators, in the same way they blamed trustees while moving to eliminate those democratically elected positions. ETFO will need to continue to counter that message.
Updating delegates on the status of collective bargaining, President Mastin explained that bargaining is at an impasse. “The government wants everything of substance to be dealt with at the central table,” said Mastin.
“We cannot let the Ford government silence local voices.”
“We are going to build toward a strong strike mandate,” he added. “We will be ready to take collective action and defend public education.”
President Mastin concluded by inviting ETFO’s education partners to the stage, representing 275,000 educators as part of the Together for Public Education campaign.
“As we start a new school year with our central agreements expiring, every union in public education is more united than ever before,” he said, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and inviting the presidents and leaders of the Education Workers’ Alliance of Ontario (EWAO), Ontario Council of Education Workers (OCEW), Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), L’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) and CUPE Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPEOSBCU) to the stage.
General Secretary's Report
ETFO general secretary Sharon O’Halloran began her report by citing 2025-26 figures for full-time equivalency positions as well as average salaries. The total fee projection is higher due to salary increases, she noted, adding, “all members will be happy to know that there are no additional fees for the coming year.” Another important fund that General Secretary O’Halloran reported on is the building fund, which sits at a balance of more than $59 million. She noted that ETFO’s investments performed well and increased by more than $31 million.
“Strong and principled governance is a key of ETFO’s success,” said O’Halloran. She thanked the Executive for carrying out the important work of the union and representing members from across the province. She also recognized the work of staff in ETFO’s different service areas. “Teamwork is the foundation of our success,” she concluded.
Ontario Teachers' Federation President Chris Cowley
OTF president Chris Cowley began his presentation to delegates by saying we have a government that wants to silence teachers and parents, but, “do you know who can’t be silenced? Our federations.”
He outlined the work of the OTF, reflecting on the issues facing Ontario teachers. He pointed to the fact that there are 40,000 certified teachers in Ontario choosing not to use their skills in the classroom because of the working conditions and lack of supports for educators. He encouraged ETFO members to see the position and research papers available on the OTF website on issues such as teacher supply and demand, artificial intelligence and other relevant topics.
He concluded by saying, “OTF doesn’t have anything to do with negotiations, but we certainly stand with you on anything that lies ahead.”
Canadian Teachers' Federation President Clint Johnston
"The ground beneath many of our institutions feels much less stable than it once did,” said CTF president Clint Johnston in his remarks to delegates. “As political power consolidates worldwide, public services are being expected to do more with less, and in education, it is teachers and education workers like you who are carrying that weight.”
“Larger classes and more complex student needs are common,” he continued, “while governments respond with quick fixes instead of working with educators and their federations. But teaching is not only a public service. It is a social good.”
Reflecting on CTF’s work to support educators across the country, he concluded by saying, “It’s time that the public at large understand what is at stake in public education.”
Social Justice Speaker Marcia Howard, President Minneapolis Federation of Educators Local 59
American activist Marcia Howard, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators Local 59, spoke to ETFO delegates about her experience as a high school teacher, union leader, activist in the fight for justice after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and leader in the resistance against the incursion of ICE in the United States.
She described her experience of learning about the murder of George Floyd. It was May 2020 during COVID and she was teaching online on her porch. “I heard a hullabaloo outside, and 200 steps from my house, at the corner store, a Black man got killed,” she said. “One of my students had filmed his death.
From that moment, people took over the intersection in protest. Howard described helicopters over her house, conducting surveillance. She didn’t go back to work for two years, instead becoming a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement and the labour movement.
In 2022, her union went on strike with a 99 per cent yes vote. “We stayed out in the cold for 14 days, and we won.”
Howard noted that what happened in Minneapolis is similar to what she sees happening in Ontario. “There seemed to be a concerted effort to keep dogging out public education to get parents to go somewhere else,” she said. “That’s the way private equity works. That’s the way capitalism works. They take something that’s valuable and say you’re of no value. When people leave, the profiteers sweep in.”
Howard reminded delegates that they must decide not to become disenchanted with advocating for public education. “Do not close your eyes. Stand in solidarity with each other. Labour will be the bulwark against authoritarianism every day,” she said.
Attacks on education are attempts to weaken the only thing that can resist the authoritarianism and fascism that government and private interests are trying to impose on western society, she continued. “Elementary teachers are the most important people in the nation,” said Howard. “The powers that be understand that, and that is why they are attacking you.”
“There’s no power like the power of this union. That power is for our students and the communities that we serve,” she concluded.
ETFO Award Winners
Congratulations to all ETFO award winners, recognized at the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Anti-Bias Award
Stephanie Sadownik, York Region Occasional Teacher Local
Anti-Poverty Award
Yalda Schwartz, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award
Natasha Carter, Durham Teacher Local
Josh Hails, Simcoe County Teacher Local
Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award – Women’s Program
Jessica Bloomfield, Durham Teacher Local
Devinder Panesar, Durham DECE Local
Arts and Culture Award
Kathleen Moll, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Children’s Literature Award
Tamla Young, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Environmental Education Award
Sheila Ducheck, York Region Teacher Local
Local Humanitarian Award for a Non-ETFO Member
Andrea Vasquez Jimenez Member
Service and Engagement Award
Niagara Teacher Local Trillium Lakelands Occasional Teacher Local
New Member Award
Alexandra Trinier, Greater Essex County Occasional Teacher Local
Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award
Patrick Johnson, Simcoe County Teacher Local
Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award – Women’s Program
Michelle Vidad, Peel Teacher Local
Women Who Develop Special Projects in Science and Technology Award – Women’s Program
Nicole Netherway, Niagara Teacher Local
Writer’s Award
Anika Guthrie, Lakehead Teacher Local
Writer’s Award – Women’s Program
Dr. Audrey Littlejohn, Peel Teacher Local
President's Closing Address from the ETFO 2026 Annual Meeting
ETFO president David Mastin began his closing address to the 2026 Annual Meeting by thanking the provincial Executive, the Annual Meeting committee, parliamentary team, poll clerks, staff and all delegates. “We have engaged in a tremendous exercise of union democracy,” he said. “Together we have shaped the direction of this Federation.”
He noted the important decisions made by the Annual Meeting, including affirming professional learning needs of DECEs, establishing new provincial standing committees for Black and Jewish members, identifying and voting for the development of important new resources, and committing to a thorough examination of the composition of the provincial Executive, with the goal of reflecting the diversity of our membership.
The president reported that bargaining is paused until the Ontario Labour Relations Board decisions come out, but the fight to defend public education will not stop. “The education unions will continue to work together to advocate for students and educators,” he noted. “We will continue to build collective power together.”
“The Ford government has turned cuts, instability and manufactured crisis into the operating model for public education,” said Mastin. “This agenda is not expected to change, but educators are united.”
“Together, ETFO will build toward a strong strike mandate that strengthens our bargaining power, showing that we are united, organized and ready to act together,” he said. We will be ready to take collective job action in defence of public education.”
President Mastin concluded his closing address with a rallying cry to delegates: “Let’s leave here with a clear commitment to mobilize, organize and build power. Education changes everything for the better.”
