Where each of the five central tables actually stands — and what every stage does, and does not, change for a child who relies on school supports.
Tables
Five
Last updated
September 3, 2026
Next review
2026-09-08
Where we stand is on the record: with the educators and boards bargaining for the staffing disabled students depend on, and against those students ever being made the cost of the dispute. The status below, though, is reported straight — confirmed against a named source, or not shown.
This tracker reports only what has been confirmed against a named source. Where a figure is not published, we show that plainly instead of estimating. If bargaining status changes, this page changes first — and the change is dated.
For what this dispute is about and why special education sits at the centre of it, start with the main briefing.
Current status
No completed strike vote publicly reported
The central agreements expired on August 31, 2026, and students are returning to school without new contracts. On September 2, 2026, a mediation session between CUPE-OSBCU and the province at the Ontario Labour Relations Board ended without agreement on bargaining scope; the dispute now goes to a full Board hearing, which OSBCU says should be decided this fall, and no hearing date has been reported. No official public source we reviewed reports a completed strike vote, a request for conciliation, or a scheduled strike. Four of the five central tables remain paused or stalled over which issues belong at the central table. Under Ontario law there can be no lawful job action until bargaining resumes and conciliation and a no-board report follow. A strike pledge is not a strike vote.
Central agreements expired
August 31, 2026
Calculating… Expiry alone does not permit a strike.
Since notice to bargain was served
—
All five unions served notice on June 3, 2026. The parties must meet within 15 days of notice; they have met.
Since bargaining could have started
—
The Minister may allow central bargaining to begin up to 180 days before the agreements expire. The unions asked on March 2, 2026. The window was not used.
Table by table
Each union bargains at its own central table. They can move at different speeds, and one reaching a legal strike position does not carry the others with it.
ETFO
Scope dispute at the Labour Board
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
Elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers, and education workers
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. Not currently bargaining: talks are stalled on which issues belong at the central table and which at local tables, a question now before the Ontario Labour Relations Board. President David Mastin told CP24 on August 18 that job action is not off the table and that the federation would proceed "one step at a time"; he told AM800/CKLW on August 20 that an OLRB ruling on scope could take weeks or months. No official public announcement reviewed reports a completed strike vote or a scheduled strike.
President
David Mastin
Members at this table
Not separately published
OSSTF/FEESO
Scope dispute at the Labour Board
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
Secondary school teachers and a wide range of education support staff
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. Not currently bargaining: talks are stalled on the central-versus-local scope question now before the Ontario Labour Relations Board. President Martha Hradowy told CBC on August 31 that the Board process could take "weeks, if not months", and told CP24 on August 18: "Let us bargain." No official public announcement reviewed reports a completed strike vote or a scheduled strike.
President
Martha Hradowy
Members at this table
Not separately published
OECTA
At the central table
Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
English Catholic school teachers
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. As of CHCH News reporting on August 19, the only major union still engaged in central negotiations; AM800/CKLW reported on August 20 that OECTA had completed ground rules but had not yet finalized the scope of bargaining. OECTA’s president signed the September 1 joint statement with the other four unions. President René Jansen in de Wal told CP24 on September 2 that "a strike vote is not a strike" and that most labour disputes are settled without one. No official public announcement reviewed reports a completed strike vote or a scheduled strike.
President
René Jansen in de Wal
Members at this table
Not separately published
AEFO
Scope dispute at the Labour Board
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens
French-language teachers in public and Catholic boards
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. AEFO’s own bargaining page reports that teacher negotiations are temporarily paused while the Ontario Labour Relations Board decides which subjects belong at the central and local tables, and that current working conditions remain in place until a new agreement is signed. No official public announcement reviewed reports a completed strike vote or a scheduled strike.
President
Gabrielle Lemieux
Members at this table
Not separately published
CUPE-OSBCU
Scope dispute at the Labour Board
Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE)
Education assistants, early childhood educators, custodial, clerical, library, IT and trades staff
Four days at the central table as of July 22, 2026. OSBCU rejected a Ministry proposal to move historically local items - leave, layoff and recall language, allowances - to the central table. On August 6, 2026 it filed a formal application asking the Ontario Labour Relations Board to determine what belongs in central scope, and asked in writing that bargaining continue meanwhile on the items both sides agree are central. Members held province-wide rallies on August 29, 2026. A September 2, 2026 mediation session at the Board did not resolve the scope dispute; OSBCU says the matter now goes to a full Board hearing, with a decision expected "this fall," and has announced a September 16 province-wide day of action, a leadership conference running September 18 through September 20, and October 24 rallies. No official public announcement reviewed reports a completed strike vote or a scheduled strike; locals have been asked to sign strike pledges, which is a different thing.
President
Joe Tigani
Members at this table
57,000
Per-union membership is not separately published by the unions; they report a combined total of more than 255,000. We show a dash rather than an estimate.
What each stage means for your child
Select a stage to see what it is, and what it does and does not change at school.
What has happened so far
Current central agreements take effect
The four-year central agreements covering Ontario teachers and education workers begin.
Unions jointly call for early bargaining
AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSBCU and OSSTF publicly ask the government to start bargaining early, citing the risk of a September disruption. The unions say the call was not taken up.
The early-bargaining window opens
Under the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act framework, the Minister of Education may allow central bargaining to begin up to 180 days before the agreements expire. That window opens roughly 180 days ahead of the August 31 expiry. The unions had asked two days earlier for exactly this. It was not used, and bargaining began after notice was served in June.
Five unions serve notice to bargain
AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSBCU and OSSTF/FEESO each serve notice to bargain, together representing more than 255,000 teachers and education workers. The parties must meet within 15 days.
OSBCU refers scope dispute to the Labour Board
After four days at the central table, OSBCU rejects a Ministry proposal to centralize historically local items and refers the scope question to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. OSBCU says the dispute could delay bargaining by several months.
OSBCU files a formal scope application with the Labour Board
OSBCU files its application asking the Ontario Labour Relations Board to determine which issues belong within the scope of central bargaining, and writes to the Crown and the employers’ bargaining agency asking that bargaining proceed meanwhile on the items both sides already agree are central. OSBCU says it cannot say how long the Board will take.
Union leaders say job action is not off the table
With talks stalled on the scope question, ETFO president David Mastin tells CP24 the federation is "going to fight" and would proceed "one step at a time"; OSSTF president Martha Hradowy says: "Let us bargain." The Ministry of Education says it remains ready to continue discussions on the scope of central versus local issues. CHCH reports the next day that ETFO and OSSTF are not currently bargaining and that OECTA is the only major union still at the table.
CUPE-OSBCU holds province-wide rallies
OSBCU members rally at locations across Ontario, in what the union describes as a call to "defend public education". No strike vote is announced.
Central agreements expire
The 2022-2026 central agreements expire without replacement. Expiry alone does not permit a strike - conciliation and a no-board report must come first, and a labour-relations expert quoted by CBC notes there cannot be job action until there is actual bargaining. Existing terms and conditions continue to apply in the meantime.
Five union presidents issue a joint statement
The presidents of AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSBCU and OSSTF/FEESO jointly state that teachers and education workers will welcome students back without new contracts, and describe the government as trying to move historically local bargaining items to the provincial table. The statement responds to the Minister of Education’s earlier reported remark that he was "optimistic" deals could be reached before Labour Day. It announces no strike vote and no job action.
OLRB mediation on scope ends without agreement
CUPE-OSBCU attends a mediation session at the Ontario Labour Relations Board on the central-versus-local scope dispute. The parties do not reach agreement; OSBCU says the matter now proceeds to a full Board hearing, with a decision expected "this fall." No hearing date has been set.
Scheduled
OSBCU province-wide day of action (planned)
OSBCU calls on members to wear purple and red for a province-wide day of action.
Scheduled
OSBCU rallies (planned)
OSBCU announces further rallies for October 24, 2026; details not yet published.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario • 2026-06-03
Joint release of the five central unions. Source for the June 3 notice date, the 255,000+ combined figure, the joint list of bargaining priorities, and the five presidents’ names.
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-07-22
Source for days at the central table, the Ontario Labour Relations Board scope dispute over centralizing historically local items, and OSBCU’s own statement that the dispute could delay bargaining by several months.
Source for the 15-day meet requirement, union leaders’ statements that they are preparing for strike votes, and the 6.4-billion-dollar underfunding figure as characterized by the unions in this report (not an independently verified accounting).
The statute governing two-tier central and local bargaining in Ontario school boards, including the Crown’s role and the conciliation route into a lawful strike position.
The governing human-rights guidance for work stoppages involving educational assistants. Sets out the shared duty on government, school boards and unions to put contingency plans in place, and confirms that interference with a collective agreement does not constitute undue hardship.
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-08-06
Source for the August 6 filing of the formal OLRB scope application ("today we filed an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) asking it to determine which issues belong within the scope of central bargaining"), for OSBCU’s statement that it cannot say how long the OLRB process will take, and for OSBCU’s account of the employer’s condition for returning to the table. Also the source for locals being asked to sign strike pledges - a pledge is not a strike vote, and no strike vote is reported.
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-08-06
OSBCU president Joe Tigani’s written request that bargaining proceed on items both sides already agree are central, while the OLRB decides the disputed items. Indexed on the OSBCU news listing.
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation • 2026-03-02
OSSTF mirror of the March 2 joint call, and the source for the statement that the Minister of Education has authority to allow bargaining to begin up to 180 days before the agreements expire.
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens
AEFO public bargaining-status page. Confirms a temporary pause while the Ontario Labour Relations Board decides the central-versus-local scope question, and states that current working conditions remain in place until a new collective agreement is signed.
Source for ETFO president David Mastin’s statement that job action is under consideration but not imminent ("one step at a time"), OSSTF president Martha Hradowy’s "Let us bargain", and the Ministry of Education’s statement that it remains ready to continue discussions on the scope of central versus local issues. No hearing date is given.
Source for the table-by-table picture on August 19: ETFO and OSSTF not currently bargaining, and OECTA the only major union still engaged in negotiations. Also the source for the unions’ characterisation that the government is seeking to move historically local items, such as staff transfers and surplus decisions, to the central table.
Source for ETFO and OSSTF talks being stalled on the central-versus-local scope dispute, Martha Hradowy’s estimate that the Labour Board process could take "weeks, if not months", the Ministry spokesperson’s statement that it is "at all times ready to continue discussions on local versus central issues before proceeding to the next stage", and a labour-studies expert’s observation that there cannot be job action until there is actual bargaining. No hearing date had been scheduled.
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-08-24
OSBCU’s call for members to rally across Ontario on August 29, 2026 to "defend public education". Participant numbers are not published. No strike vote is announced.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (joint release of the five central unions) • 2026-09-01
Signed by the presidents of AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSBCU and OSSTF/FEESO. Source for the statement that teachers and education workers will welcome students back without new contracts, and for the unions’ characterisation of the Minister of Education’s earlier remarks ("optimistic" that deals could be reached before Labour Day; "relative peace"). It is one side’s statement: the Minister’s remarks are recorded here as the unions’ characterisation, not as verified quotations. It announces no strike vote and no job action, and does not mention special education. Mirrored at osbcu.ca.
Official enacted text and status. Bill 101 received Royal Assent as S.O. 2026, c. 4. It changes the employer bargaining agency for English public and Catholic boards to the Council of Ontario Directors of Education and adds provisions limiting personal liability, causes of action and remedies in specified circumstances. The enacted text preserves judicial review and constitutional remedies in specified provisions and preserves Crown vicarious liability under section 17.2.
Official record of Opposition Leader and Davenport MPP Marit Stiles asking why the Minister of Education needed immunity in Bill 101, and the Minister describing the restructuring of employer-side bargaining.
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-09-02
Source for the September 2 mediation session at the Ontario Labour Relations Board on the central-scope dispute ending without agreement ("It was clear very early in the day that there was no way that we could reach agreement on central scope"), for the dispute proceeding to a full Board hearing with a decision OSBCU says "should be issued this fall," and for OSBCU’s planned September 16 province-wide day of action, a leadership conference running September 18 through September 20, and October 24 rallies. No strike vote is mentioned.
Source for OECTA president René Jansen in de Wal’s statement that a strike vote is not a strike and that "98 per cent of labour disputes get settled without a strike," and for schools returning September 8 without new contracts.
Source for Education Minister Paul Calandra’s quoted statement "I still remain very optimistic" and that the school year "will start as scheduled," for OECTA having completed ground rules without finalizing central scope, and for ETFO president David Mastin’s statement that an OLRB scope ruling could take weeks or months.
Official clause-by-clause record. MPP Chandra Pasma challenged the accountability and liability provisions and objected to boards covering supervisor legal expenses, including for criminal proceedings.
Last verified: 2026-08-30
Citable facts from this page(3)
What did the 2026 Ontario Auditor General find about special education?
Verified
Tabled May 12, 2026, the Auditor General's Special Report on Special Education Needs found 65% of placement decisions had no written rationale, 90%+ of IEP goals lacked measurable criteria, education assistants absent on 18% of school days (49-72% unfilled), and only 21% of inclusive-classroom teachers could meet most students' needs. It made 15 recommendations; the Ministry disagreed with 2.
Source: Auditor General of Ontario, Special Report on Special Education Needs (May 12, 2026) · Open source record
How often are education-assistant absences left unfilled in Ontario schools?
Verified
Education assistants were absent on an average of 18% of school days across the three audited boards, and 49-72% of those absences went unfilled by a qualified replacement. EAs handle day-to-day behaviour support, personal care, and IEP implementation; when an absence is not filled, that support disappears for the day.
Source: Auditor General of Ontario, Special Report on Special Education Needs (May 12, 2026) · Open source record
What happens to a child with special needs when their education assistant is absent?
Verified
When an education assistant is absent and not replaced, schools may place the student on a modified-day schedule, ask the family to keep the child home, or run short-staffed. The Auditor General's staffing recommendation asks boards to start tracking when special-education students are sent home or have their day modified because of unfilled absences — data boards do not currently keep.
Source: Auditor General of Ontario, Special Report on Special Education Needs (May 12, 2026) · Open source record
Next Steps
Do not wait for a strike date to ask
The time to get your child’s continuity of accommodation plan in writing is before conciliation begins, not after a walkout starts.
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Facts1
Sources1
Under the Ontario Education Act, every student with special needs is entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and access to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)