Your Federation: Fall 2025
Karen Brown Opened the ETFO Annual Meeting
Outgoing president Karen Brown began her opening address by acknowledging that this year ETFO celebrates 15 years since designated early childhood educators joined the union. “To all the designated early childhood educators in the room, I want to say thank you. I look forward to continuing to build the public education system our youngest learners deserve together.”
President Brown reflected on beginning the last year with a listening tour. “We held open member meetings in school boards across the province,” explained the president. “We wanted to hear from members about the issues they face in schools and to strategize together on how we can best fight for the improvements our members and students deserve.” She highlighted ETFO’s organizing during the provincial and federal elections, as well as the campaigns that ran across the province.
Brown criticized the provincial government for refusing to invest in the resources and supports public schools need. Calling out the recruitment and retention crisis, she talked about the deeply-rooted systemic issues in Ontario public schools.
President Brown introduced ETFO’s smaller classes, BIG DIFFERENCE campaign, noting that class size will be a major focus of the upcoming round of bargaining. “For years, educators have been clear: smaller class sizes are essential to student learning and educator well-being,” she said. “Overcrowded classrooms limit what’s possible, stretch educators too thin, reduce opportunities for individualized support, and make it harder to create the kind of calm, safe and inclusive spaces students deserve.”
“As we prepare for the 2026 round of bargaining, ETFO is laying the groundwork for bold, focused action,” concluded Brown.
General Secretary's Report
General Secretary Sharon O’Halloran delivered her report to the Annual Meeting, sharing highlights from the work of the Federation over the past year. Reflecting on preparations for the 2026 round of collective bargaining, she said that ETFO’s plan hinges on two key components: a purposeful and strategic focus on class size and a plan designed to mobilize and engage members.
O’Halloran shared a preview of videos and ads created for the smaller classes, BIG DIFFERENCE campaign, emphasizing that solidarity will be the key to ETFO’s success in achieving meaningful improvements in the next round of bargaining.
She spoke about the importance of 2025 as the 15th anniversary of DECE’s joining ETFO. “ETFO is stronger and better because you are in it,” she said. “Thank you for your invaluable contributions to the Kindergarten program and to the Kindergarten partnership.”
Ontario Teachers' Federation President Michael Foulds
Ontario Teachers’ Federation president Michael Foulds discussed the work being done by the provincial organization. His focus was the future and how to protect Ontario’s world class public education system through recruitment, retention and respect. “Teaching is a calling,” he told the delegates. “And I want to ensure it’s a profession that people want to stay in.”
Foulds went on to say that ETFO has an important role to play in shaping the profession through bargaining, protecting members and building pathways into teaching. He criticized the Ford government for its false claim that there are not enough teachers in Ontario and emphasized that 40,000 certified teachers are not working in Ontario’s schools because of untenable working conditions.
The OTF president urged ETFO members to remember the legacy of educators and ensure the next generation of teachers have the respect and support they deserve by making teaching a desirable and respected profession.
Social Justice Speaker Journalist Connie Walker
Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award–winning journalist Connie Walker, a member of the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan, addressed ETFO delegates about how she found her way to reporting and producing the award-winning podcast Stolen, which exposed decades of systemic abuse in the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan.
Walker began by speaking about her own school and teachers. “I still remember every single elementary school teacher that I had. The work you do is so important to every kid in your classroom,” she said. “I want to thank you."
In 2015, Walker covered the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report, in which Justice Murray Sinclair stated that, “There’s not a single Indigenous person in Canada who has not been touched by the legacy of residential schools.”
“I believed him, but I didn’t quite understand it,” said Walker, who described that moment as one of the hardest days in her career. It wasn’t until she was in university that she began connecting the legacy of residential schools to her family. Interviewing her grandfather for an oral history project, Walker learned that he had been sent to residential school at six years old and had not been allowed to go to his grandfather’s funeral.
“So much of my journalism has been filling in the gaps of the truth of residential schools and Canada’s colonial history,” said Walker. “The truth of these schools is needed if we’re ever going to heal.... As a Cree woman I am honoured to do this work.”
Canadian Teachers' Federation President Clint Johnston
Clint Johnston greeted delegates and spoke about the role that ETFO plays in the work of the CTF, which represents more than 370,000 teachers across Canada. The CTF is part of Education International, which represents more than three-million teachers worldwide.
Johnston reflected on how CTF is working to build a Canada where every child has equitable access to quality public education. “We value truth, hard work and we depend on each other to make our country prosperous and well educated,” he said.
Unity is critical, particularly in light of harmful ideologies that are re-emerging and creating unsafe spaces for the students in our classes. “This is a time of dynamic political upheaval,” said Johnston. “It is important to remember that the ideas south of the border are in Canada as well.”
He stressed the importance of ETFO’s advocacy: “Ontario employs more teachers than anywhere else in Canada, so your voices are important.”
ETFO Award Winners 2024
Congratulations to all ETFO Award winners, recognized at the ETFO 2025 Annual Meeting
Anti-Bias Award
Ryan Richards, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Anti-Poverty Award
Sezgin Nalsok, Halton Teacher Local
Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award
Megan Watson, Kawartha Pine Ridge Teacher Local
Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award – Women’s Program
Nkiru Azza, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local Kathryn Lagerquist, Peel Teacher Local
Arts and Culture Award
Mark Ouellette, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Children’s Literature Award
Brenda Lee Gladman, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Environmental Education Award
Haley Higdon, Toronto Occasional Teacher Local
Health and Safety Activist Award
Lynn Buckley, Waterloo Region Teacher Local
Member Service and Engagement Award
Simcoe County Teacher Local
New Member Award
Kevin Watson, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Outstanding Role Model for Women Award – Women’s Program
Pamela Downward, Durham Teacher Local
Activist Award
Jeff Pelich, Waterloo Region Teacher Local
Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award
Jonathan Pitt, Near North Teacher Local
Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award – WP
Asha Nagpal, Peel Teacher Local
Women Working in Social Activism on Behalf of Women and Children – WP
Chantel Butterfield, Non-ETFO Member
Writer’s Award
Chey Cheney and Pawan Wander, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Writer’s Award – Women’s Program
Sylv Chiang, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local
Incoming President David Mastin
Incoming president David Mastin thanked delegates, alternates, poll clerks, parliamentarians, the provincial Executive, the Annual Meeting Committee and staff for their efforts on behalf of ETFO’s 84,000 members.
“You have debated and passed important resolutions that will guide the work of our Federation going forward,” said Mastin. “You have thoughtfully grappled with the challenges our Federation faces, while always keeping the best interests of ETFO members at the heart of your decision-making.”
Mastin noted that the union is facing challenging political and economic headwinds as we gear up for the next round of bargaining, including a provincial government that has been underfunding public education and public services for the past seven years, and the impact of U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs and the economic uncertainty they have created. “Together we must demand the provincial government make real investments,” said Mastin. “That starts with adequately funding the public services our communities rely on.”
School board trustees are important to democracy, and Bill 33 is unnecessary, sweeping legislation that undermines governance in public schools, paving the way for the Ministry of Education to take over any school board it wishes to, without justification.
“For our education system to be responsive to the communities it serves, school board trustees must be able to speak out, without fear that their entire board will be taken over in retaliation for their advocacy,” said Mastin.
President Mastin encouraged members in boards that have been taken over by the provincial government to contact their MPPs, who should be accountable. He thanked outgoing president Karen Brown and recognized her outstanding commitment to ETFO and extraordinary efforts as Executive member, released officer and president.
Mastin then introduced ETFO’s new provincial Executive members. “I know your provincial Executive is ready to get to work,” he told delegates. “We are going to need each and every one of you as we confront the challenges facing public education in Ontario. You have made our public education system one of the strongest in the world,” he concluded. “And it will be you – through our unified collective action – that will continue to defend and strengthen our public schools.”
