LONDON, ON — On Saturday, October 24, Ontario teachers and education workers will hold coordinated rallies in five cities across the province, united in the fight for Ontario’s publicly funded schools. 

Continuing a strong show of solidarity and coordinated action for collective bargaining in the education sector, five major education unions representing 255,000 workers are joining forces to organize rallies that bring together parents, families, and local community members in their respective city hubs with one common demand: invest in publicly funded education.

Alongside London’s local rally at Victoria Park, large crowds will also be gathering at Queen’s Park in Toronto, Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Waverley Park in Thunder Bay, and Bell Park in Sudbury. In addition to hearing from provincial and local leaders and education union representatives, parents and community members will share how underfunding and understaffing have affected our schools and how, together, we can fight for the publicly funded education system students deserve.

WHEN: Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Victoria Park Bandstand, 509 Clarence St, London
 

WHO:  

• Christa Rioux, Secretary Treasurer, Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU)
• Maria Moftah, Conseillère/Councillor, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)
• Mario Spagnuolo, President of the Greater Essex Teacher Local, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
• Melissa Garrett, Provincial Councillor, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
• Roxanne Beauchamp, Executive Officer, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
• Lisa Weiler Haskins, President of the Educational Assistants Association (EAA) and a member of the Education Workers' Alliance of Ontario – Alliance des travailleuses et travailleurs en éducation de l'Ontario (EWAO-ATEO)
• Patti Dalton, President, London and District Labour Council 

INTERVIEWS: Media are invited to attend Saturday’s London rally for on-site interviews with union leaders, teachers, education workers and other speakers. Local and provincial education leaders are also available for phone or virtual interviews in advance of October 24.

To book an advance interview, arrange on-site coverage, or request details on local rallies, contact: 

Before October 24:

Shannon Carranco, CUPE, 514-703-8358 or scarranco@cupe.ca  
 

On October 24:

Chitra Kunnath, CUPE, 416-317-0285 or ckunnath@cupe.ca