N環球 
Toronto education rally today: five Ontario cities rally together for publicly funded education
Ontario education unions are holding coordinated “Together for Publicly Funded Education” rallies from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. today, Oct 24, with the main gathering at Toronto's Queen's Park and simultaneous rallies in Ottawa, London, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Organizers expect thousands of teachers, education workers, families and supporters, calling for action on a $6.5-billion funding gap, class sizes and special education supports.
Why it matters
With Ontario municipal elections days away, funding and staffing in publicly funded schools are in the spotlight. Organizers say real per-student funding is already near a 10-year low and set to fall further, while recruitment and retention, class size and complexity, violence and safety in schools, and special education and mental health supports shape students' daily reality.
Full report
The “Together for Publicly Funded Education” rallies take place on Saturday, Oct 24, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET. The main gathering is at Queen's Park in Toronto, with simultaneous rallies at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Victoria Park in London, Bell Park in Sudbury and Waverley Park in Thunder Bay, hosted by leaders of Ontario's major education unions and attended by teachers, education workers, families and community members.
Organizers list their demands as closing the $6.5-billion funding gap, fixing the teacher and education worker retention and recruitment crisis, addressing class sizes and complexity, violence and safety in schools, and special education and mental health supports, pushing back against growing provincial control over school boards, and highlighting what the current round of bargaining could mean for students and publicly funded education.
Organizers also note that fewer people are running for school trustee ahead of the municipal elections, in large part because Bill 101 has undermined the role. A union advisory carried by CommunityWire says the five major education unions together represent 255,000 workers.
A note on numbers: organizers said ahead of the rallies that they expected thousands to attend; confirmed turnout will depend on on-the-ground reporting after the events. The funding and staffing claims cited here are the organizers' case, including their citation of the Financial Accountability Office's per-student funding assessment.
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