Updated weekly
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 strike vote held
No strike vote has been held and no strike has been scheduled. Unions have said they are preparing for possible strike votes.
Central agreements expire
August 31, 2026
Calculating… Expiry alone does not permit a strike.
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.
At the central table
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
Elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers, and education workers
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. President has said publicly that the federation is preparing for strike votes. No strike vote has been held.
At the central table
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
Secondary school teachers and a wide range of education support staff
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. President has described the system as being at a breaking point. No strike vote has been held.
At the central table
Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
English Catholic school teachers
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. No strike vote has been held.
At the central table
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens
French-language teachers in public and Catholic boards
Served notice to bargain June 3, 2026. No strike vote has been held.
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, and referred the scope question to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. OSBCU says this could delay bargaining by several months. No strike vote has been held.
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.
Select a stage to see what it is, and what it does and does not change at school.
The four-year central agreements covering Ontario teachers and education workers begin.
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.
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.
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.
The 2022–2026 central agreements expire. Expiry alone does not permit a strike — conciliation and a no-board report must come first.
SOURCE
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.
SOURCE
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation • 2026-06-03
OSSTF mirror of the joint June 3 release.
SOURCE
Ontario School Board Council of Unions • 2026-03-02
The March 2 joint call for early bargaining, which the unions say the government did not take up.
SOURCE
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
The Globe and Mail • 2026-06-03
Source for the 15-day meet requirement, union leaders’ statements that they are preparing for strike votes, and the $6.4-billion union underfunding claim.
SOURCE
CBC News • 2026-06-03
Source for the bargaining countdown following notice to bargain.
SOURCE
CanLII • 2014
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.
SOURCE
Ontario Human Rights Commission
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.
SOURCE
Government of Ontario
Section 1 (equal treatment in services, including education) and section 17 (duty to accommodate).
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
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)
89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
1 in 50
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about 1 in 50 children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements (23%) — less than one in four
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement