Education workers rallied at Harmony Square in Brantford to call on the provincial government to reinvest in public education on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Organized by local unions that represent more than 5,500 public education workers across Brantford, the County of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk, the rally was held to raise awareness around what organizers describe as the chronic underfunding of Ontario’s public education system.
Representatives from both the public and Catholic school boards, various unions, parents and even students were present at the rally.
Organizers said that since 2019, students have experienced a loss of supports, including fewer educational assistants and special education supports, reduced access to mental health professionals, large class size and deteriorating school infrastructure.
“Today represents the coming together of all of our local education unions under an education crisis,” said Carolyn Proulx-Wootton, president of the Grand Erie Elementary Teachers’ Federation. “We have tremendous unmet needs in our schools, and the cause is not the actions of trustees or school boards, but Doug Ford’s provincial government underfunding our schools by $6.35 billion since 2019.”
“… Education workers continue to show extraordinary professionalism and care for students, even as we are stretched far beyond what any education worker should be asked to carry day after day,” she said. “We are compensating for the absence of critical supports, including psycho-educational assessments, speech and language services, mental health supports, a variety of Special Education Programs, autism therapies and educational assistance to meet many students where they are at. Education workers are stretched beyond their limits, and families are seeing the consequences every day. Over 64,000 children as of today, are waiting for therapy through the Ontario autism program. …This is a manufactured funding crisis of epic proportions that has repercussions for our children, and without intervention, our students are getting left behind.”
Sarah Kuva, president of CUPE 5100, which represents the educational support workers at Grand Erie District School Board, told the crowd that they were urging the Ontario government to begin bargaining with unions as soon as possible.
“School boards across this province are dealing with severe underfunding and understaffing issues, and students and education workers are most affected. Early bargaining gives students, parents and education workers certainty in the fall. Waiting until the last minute will only create chaos and instability in our schools,” she said. “…We are ready to bargain now. We’re prepared to come to the table at any time. There’s no reason for the delay, the government has the ability to start bargaining in March. Our message is simple: come to the table, fund our schools properly, address the staffing crisis and make students and worker safety a priority.”
Kuva said she hoped the rally would show local governments, educators and parents that education workers are united in their advocacy.
“I’m hoping that people will see that as a collective, labour wants to see an investment in education,” she said. “Our heart and soul is in public education, and we want to see the needs of students met, the needs of buildings met, we want to make workers safe and we want students to be all that they can be.”
Nathan Core, first vice president of the Ontario Teachers Federation, told the crowd that public education was worth fighting for.
“Public education belongs to the people of Ontario, it belongs to our students and it belongs to our communities. This is worth fighting for. …Public education is not simply a line on an expense form; it is the very foundation of a healthy democracy. This is where children learn to think critically, to collaborate, and where they learn to care for one another. It’s where we build futures,” he said. “… Investment in public education is not optional, it is essential. The government may make decisions at Queen’s Park, but public education is in our communities, and when communities raise their voices together, change can happen. So let’s keep standing together. It may be cold, but let’s keep advocating together and let’s keep reminding this government, and any government, that our students deserve fully funded, fully staffed, fully supported public schools.”
Proulx-Wootton later encouraged parents and other residents to reach out to their local MPPs, and make it known to the provincial government that they care about properly funded education.
“It would be huge if they could let their elected representatives know what they know about education; that they know it’s underfunded and that it matters to them,” she said. “Education is particularly special because it’s not just a public service that we’re doing this year or an ongoing service. Public education is an institution and it is getting students to their full human potential. Children are the future, and we need to create a system to support them.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
