A group of striking Ontario high school teachers

Ontario High School Teachers’ strike

Tim Heffernan is retired Ontario Teacher and OSSTF activist. Wednesday, December 4, saw the first provincial strike of teachers since 1997. 60,000 High School teachers and education workers walked off the job for the day and picketed outside schools, Board offices and the offices of Tory MPPs. For 2 weeks prior to this, the union, […]

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Ontario: Education Rebellion

On April 4, 100,000 to 200,000 school students walked out of 700 schools in protest against the Ford government’s plan to increase class size increases and other attacks on their education. The mood was energetic and enthusiastic. The students knew why they were protesting – to protect their education. Laughingly, Ford’s petulant comment even before […]

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IATSE dispute hits the Ex

One of Toronto’s great annual traditions over the last two weeks of August, “the Ex”, promises to be a much more interesting experience than usual for its 1 million+ visitors. The lock out of the workers who erect stages and move equipment started in late July and is building to a crescendo for the opening […]

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Ford Wins in Ontario

The hopes of the NDP pulling off a surprise victory didn’t materialize and Ontario workers are now faced with the prospect of the most right-wing government since the days of Mike Harris in the 1990s. Does this victory of a right-wing  populist signify that Ontario (and, by implication, Canada as a whole – given Ontario’s […]

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Ontario Crossroads Election

Ontario’s June 7 election has heated up, not only because of the participation of Doug Ford, the so-called Canadian Donald Trump and apparent front runner, but because the outcome of the election itself is by no means certain. Since the New Year, Ontario politics have been anything but dull. At the start of 2018, it […]

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