Teachers and education staff in Thunder Bay joined colleagues across Ontario on April 29, 2026, for a province-wide day of action to highlight concerns regarding the state of the public education system. While participants wore red and purple to show solidarity, staff remained in classrooms to continue their regular duties throughout the day.
The event was set to involve more than 255,000 members from five major unions, including the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions. In Thunder Bay, the action included members of the local secondary school teachers’ union, which represents more than 1,000 members, including secondary school teachers and education assistants working within the Lakehead District School Board.
Union representatives stated that the action serves as a demonstration ahead of contract negotiations, which are set to begin in September 2026 as current agreements expire at the end of August. The unions are protesting what they describe as chronic underfunding by the provincial government since 2018. Specific concerns cited include large class sizes, a reported 77 per cent increase in school violence over the last eight years, and a lack of support for students with special education needs.
The provincial government recently introduced the Putting Student Achievement First Act, which outlines $30.3 billion in core education funding. Despite this, union leaders maintain that more must be done to address the challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers and to ensure safe learning environments for students.
