FROM THE PRESIDENT
FIGHT FOR OUR FUTURE: WHY CLIMATE JUSTICE IS EDUCATION JUSTICE
T
he fall has exemplified how the Ontario government continues to fail public education and rein- forced for your provincial Execu-
tive the importance of ETFO members being organized and engaged, particularly as we head into collective bargaining next year. Te recent passing of Bill 33 demonstrates
a staggering misdirection of government fo- cus. Instead of funding public schools and equipping students with the resources and supports they need to be successful, the gov- ernment is preoccupied with dismantling community representation. Tis fixation on restructuring governance distracts from the urgent crises facing our students, including a rapidly changing climate. While the gov- ernment centralizes power over our public schools, it neglects its fundamental duty to prepare the next generation for the unstable future it is inheriting. It is this vacuum in leadership that drew
ETFO to participate in this year’s Canadian Labour Congress delegation to COP30, the United Nations' annual climate conference. In November, I was proud to stand with the labour delegation, fighting for what our own government will not: a future where climate justice is understood as inseparable from education justice. Our goal was to push gov- ernments to prioritize quality climate educa- tion and to invest in the funding necessary for climate-resilient schools. In classrooms across Ontario, the climate
crisis is not a theory – it is our students’ lived reality. Tey breathe it in the haze of wildfire smoke and carry it as anxiety about a future that feels increasingly unstable. Our duty as educators is to not only share what we know, but to teach the critical thinking skills and inspire the hope needed to navi- gate this challenge. In Ontario, we are do- ing this work despite the provincial govern- ment, not with its support. Like other aspects of our underfunded
public education system, our school build- ings tell a story of neglect. Schools that should be models of sustainability and resil- ience are oſten crumbling, energy-inefficient structures. Te chronic underfunding of in- frastructure means “greening our schools”
relies on the volunteer heroics of staff and parent councils, not on a coherent provin- cial plan. We are at a crossroads, and Ontario must recognize the opportunity in front of us. We could lead the way by implementing a much-needed infrastructure renewal of our public education system, retrofitting our schools to reduce emissions and increase en- ergy efficiency, while simultaneously future- proofing them for a changing climate. My experience at COP30 was both sober-
ing and galvanizing. I saw that the failure to prioritize climate education is a global cri- sis, but the collective power of educators is a formidable force for change. Standing with union leaders from every continent, I learned that the gaps in Ontario’s curriculum and the lack of investment in greener schools and support for our teachers are not isolated is- sues, but part of a systemic, global failure by many governments to treat education as a cornerstone of climate justice. We are not just
advocating for better resources; we are part of an international movement demanding that governments fulfil their duty to every child. Across Ontario, educators are doing
their very best to teach students to be criti- cal thinkers; to apply a lens of regeneration, sustainability and equity; to understand how their lives are connected to all living beings; and to foster the creativity that will ultimately help them combat fear with agency. But our public schools also need the government to make major investments in green school in- frastructure and dedicated training, resourc- es and support for teachers. Te climate crisis is here. Our students feel
it every day. Tey deserve a public education that engages critically and hopefully with the world they will inherit. Tey deserve a gov- ernment that listens to science and to the pas- sionate advocacy of their teachers – a govern- ment that funds classrooms, not takeovers. – David Mastin
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 5
PHOTO BY CHRISTINE COUSINS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
