The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is sounding the alarm on Ontario’s failing special education system, where students are being left behind due to government neglect. At a press conference next week, ETFO will release its latest position paper, Promises Unfulfilled: Addressing the Special Education Crisis in Ontario, which exposes the dark history, broken policy, and chronic provincial underfunding that results in a lack of early intervention, limited resources and supports, and other systemic barriers.  

The press conference will deliver a clear call for action for the Ontario government to immediately address this urgent issue. Backed by research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the University of British Columbia, the report presents 27 concrete recommendations to ensure students with special education needs receive the support they deserve and are legally entitled to.

Media will receive an executive summary and full report detailing the necessary steps to fix Ontario’s broken special education system.

DATE: Tuesday, March 18, 2025

TIME: 9:30 a.m.

WHO: ETFO President Karen Brown will be joined by:

• Kate Dudley-Logue, Vice-President of Community Outreach, Ontario Autism Coalition
• Joanna Conrad, Advisory Member on the Greater Essex County District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee and the mother of three children, one of whom has special needs
• Jennifer Pinder, Special Education Resource Teacher, Waterloo Region District School Board
• Ricardo Tranjan, Political Economist and Senior Researcher, CCPA

WHERE: ETFO Provincial Office, 136 Isabella St., Toronto

LIVESTREAM: Available on ETFO’s YouTube channel. 

ETFO represents approximately 83,000 members, including public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel. Visit BuildingBetterSchools.ca.