Behind Ontario's legislature, children decorated protest signs with markers and stamps while parents gathered around tables of hot food and drinks. Organizers brought out guitars and drums to play beneath the tall trees at Queen's Park. In the mild Saturday sunshine, the scene resembled a school festival.
But the signs were for a demonstration. Members of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) had gathered ahead of an Oct. 24 rally to demand greater investment in Ontario's public education system.
The demonstration was one of five coordinated rallies across Ontario under the banner "Together for Publicly Funded Education." According to the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), five major education unions representing 255,000 workers organized rallies in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
Humber Polytechnic faculty also attended the Toronto rally in solidarity with elementary and secondary school workers.
Among those gathered was Laura McCoy, an intermediate teacher with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), who said nearly 28 years in education have brought increasing responsibilities beyond teaching.
"I'm not a nurse, I'm not a social worker, I'm not a nutritionist," McCoy said. "All of those jobs I've had to take on."
McCoy described supporting students with behavioural and mental health concerns while struggling to access teaching materials. She said delays during the TDSB's transition to a new supply-ordering system forced her to start the school year with leftover art supplies and adjust her lesson plans.
Similar concerns about classroom conditions were raised by Nigel Barriffe, president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT), who said teachers were ready to negotiate but continued to face obstacles.
Contracts covering Ontario's public school teachers and education workers expired Aug. 31, while a dispute over which issues should be negotiated provincially and which should remain with local school boards is before the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Nigel Barriffe, president of ETT, said teachers were ready to negotiate but continued to face obstacles. He also raised concerns about crowded classrooms and insufficient special education support.
Barriffe described students being reassigned to different teachers three weeks into the school year, disrupting their routines and relationships.
"In those three weeks they've lost all of the time they spent building up the classroom, building up the routines, and getting close with their teacher," he said.
The Ontario government describes its 2026-27 education funding as a record investment, allocating $30.6 billion in core funding, including approximately $3.8 billion for special education.
But the independent Financial Accountability Office estimates inflation-adjusted school-board operating funding will fall from $15,140 per student in 2025-26 to $15,074 in 2026-27. It projects further decreases under the province's current spending plan.
While teachers described taking on responsibilities beyond instruction, education support workers at the rally said staffing shortages were making it difficult to fulfil their own roles.
Monica Melo-Manhsinh, an educational assistant with the York Region District School Board, said she moves between classrooms to help students regulate their emotions and behaviour so they can participate in learning.
But she said staffing shortages have made it increasingly difficult to provide timely support.
"We're often getting to the students way after they need the support and aren't able to regulate," Melo-Manhsinh said.
Students also called for a greater role in advocating for public education.
Valerie Yakushev, a Humber Polytechnic student who attended the rally, said students should stand alongside teachers and education workers in opposing education cuts.
"We are going to fight for education, and if the government is willing to escalate this, so are we," Yakushev said.
Humber faculty members who attended the rally also raised concerns about staffing reductions and educational resources at the college.
Usman Malik, a Humber librarian and second vice-president of faculty union OPSEU Local 562, said staff reductions have affected departments across the college and that the library has less money for collections.
Humber introduced a voluntary employee exit program earlier this year amid financial pressures. The college subsequently warned that further workforce reductions would be needed after the program failed to close its projected budget shortfall.
Miloš Vasić, a Humber Liberal Studies professor and president of Local 562, said staff reductions had also disrupted administrative operations.
"It's chaos because there are fewer people doing more work," Vasić said.
Although college faculty and school-board employees have separate funding systems and bargaining arrangements, both union representatives described concerns about the future of publicly funded education.
Ontario Labour Relations Board hearings for education workers are scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28, with OPSEU expecting a decision in early November. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation has scheduled a strike vote for Nov. 6 to 16, though the federation says no strike date has been set.
Malik said maintaining public support would require continued organizing and political pressure beyond Saturday's demonstration.
"It's going to be a political fight in the halls of parliament, and it's also going to be a fight on the street," Malik said.
