PETERBOROUGH, ON –The Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), CUPE 997 and CUPE 1453,  representing more than 1,700 education workers across the Trillium Lakelands District School Board and the  Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board are urging the Ford  government and Education Minister Paul Calandra to begin collective bargaining with unions as soon as  possible, as severe underfunding and chronic staffing shortages continue to harm students and education  workers across Ontario — including in the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes areas.  

“There can be no ‘business as usual’ while education workers and students bear the brunt of chronic  underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, President of the OSBCU. “Early bargaining is critical to stabilizing our schools  and addressing the staffing crisis before it becomes even more severe.” 

CUPE-OSBCU is urging the government to come to the bargaining table prepared to increase staffing levels in  schools across the province, improve supports for students, and make necessary investments in publicly funded  and publicly delivered education in Ontario. 

School boards are already warning CUPE locals that thousands of education workers could be laid off for  September 2026 following the expiry of the current collective agreement in August. These potential cuts come  at a time when schools are already struggling to meet students’ needs due to years of inadequate funding and  chronic understaffing. 

“We need to begin bargaining as soon as possible because the staffing crisis in our schools is already causing  real harm,” said Lianne Barley, President of CUPE 997, representing education workers at the Trillium  Lakelands District School Board. “There is a ‘Plan B’ in place so that when staff are absent, they are generally not replaced until the fourth day of absence. The lack of replacement workers means employees are coming to  work sick, workloads are piling up, and violence in the workplace is increasing because schools are simply  understaffed.” 

“CUPE 1453 is ready to get to the table immediately, and we fully support the OSBCU’s call for the Ontario  government to begin bargaining as soon as possible,” said Nora Shaughnessy, President of CUPE 1453,  representing education workers at PVNCCDSB. “Right now, our schools are extremely underfunded, and it’s  our students who are paying the price. Many are not getting the supports they need, and our staffing levels  simply aren’t enough to meet growing demands. The chronic shortage of Educational Assistants has led to  escalating physical and mental health issues among staff, many of whom are working through breaks and  lunches just to meet the needs of students. Violence in schools is on the rise, and workers are telling us it’s  becoming increasingly difficult to maintain safe, effective learning environments.” 

The OSBCU, CUPE 997 and CUPE 1453 are ready to go to the bargaining table at any time. Early bargaining  is essential to provide certainty for students, parents, and education workers — and to prevent yet another  school year marked by a crisis of underfunding and understaffing of public education. Minister Calandra can  issue a regulation to allow bargaining to start up to 180 days before the expiry of the current agreement at the  end of August — as early as the beginning of March.  

“Our members are burned out,” said Barley. “Custodians are working short-staffed for years, Education  Assistants are forfeiting much needed breaks while being scheduled to support multiple high-needs students,  and temporary workers are exhausted before they ever reach permanent status. Bargaining can’t wait. We need  solutions now to protect workers, students, and the integrity of our schools.” 

Key Stats: 

• The Ford government has underfunded public education by $6.3 billion, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. 
• According to the OSBCU, the Ford government has cut per-pupil funding by $1.4 billion in the 2025- 2026 school year. 
• CUPE education workers in Ontario are currently working the equivalent of 1,355.5 Full-Time  Equivalent (FTE) jobs worth of unpaid work. 
• 96 percent of CUPE Educational Assistants and Child and Youth Workers in Ontario experience violent  or disruptive incidents in their workplace; 55 percent say it happens every day. 
• Despite government claims about “historic funding” for schools, student to staff ratios have not improved  since the Ford Conservative government took office in 2018. In fact, for some job classifications, student  to staff ratios are worse now than in 2018. 
• Agreements that limit school boards’ ability to cut education jobs expire on August 30, 2026, meaning  there could be mass layoffs (as several boards have indicated will happen) for the start of the next  school year in September – unless those agreements can be renewed through collective bargaining.  

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“CUPE Local 1490 is engaged in a legal strike and they’re making a legitimate call for better wages for workers who deliver important services,” said Mark Hancock, President of CUPE. “What the Township is doing is a deeply troubling intrusion on the constitutionally-protected right of our members to collectively bargain and to take strike action. I’m outraged that the Township’s taken to abuse of the Charter rights of its workers – and that’s why we’re sending them yet another loud and clear message.” 

On February 15, the Township issued a trespass notice excluding the 14 striking members of CUPE Local 1490 from three municipal locations. Additionally, the notice excluded “members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees” and “employees from the Canadian Union of Public Employees”. 

With the union’s application, which was served to the municipality on March 12, the Superior Court of Justice is now tasked with determining whether, among other things, the municipality’s trespass notice violates the Charter-protected rights of CUPE members and employees. 
 
“These rights are protected for a reason,” said Hancock. “We’ll defend the right to strike and demonstrate everywhere, from picket lines to the courts, if we have to.”  

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“Throughout these negotiations, our government’s focus has always been keeping students in the classroom without disruption.

I am pleased to formally announce that the Crown, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the school board trustee associations, have reached a tentative agreement that keeps schools open so that kids can stay in class. I know this is welcome news to all students, parents, and workers alike, who now have the certainty they’ve been looking for.

This is not a win for governments or education unions, it’s a win for Ontario families who finally have peace of mind knowing their children will remain in the classroom.

After two and a half years of unprecedented disruptions, nothing matters more than stability in our schools. We are pleased to have reached a deal today that will make sure kids are in class catching up on their learning.”

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