" 60,000 fewer courses will be available to our students, including the critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and specialized education courses that allow our students to reach their full potential. "

During a recent press conference, Education Minister Stephen Lecce admitted that he and Doug Ford view their education cuts as little more than a fiscal exercise, as a way to balance the budget. But for 600,000 high school students in Ontario, it’s so much more.

A recent Conference Board of Canada report noted that strong education systems not only lead students to “higher incomes…and to contribute disproportionately to business innovation, productivity and national economic performance”, but to have higher rates of “civic engagement, life satisfaction [and a] tendency to make decisions that lead to healthier, longer lives.”

Those are the kind of outcomes we want for our kids. But they’re not the kind of outcomes that will happen in Doug Ford’s Ontario.

In trying to balance the books on the backs of our students, Doug Ford will increase class sizes by 27% and will eliminate 10,000 educators from our schools. As a result, 60,000 fewer courses will be available to our students, including the critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and specialized education courses that allow our students to reach their full potential. In short: he has put their future at risk and the consequences could be far-reaching. That same Conference Board of Canada report noted that every dollar we pull out of education today could cost our province $1.30 in future economic benefit.

Ontarians need to fight back against Ford’s cuts to education. To give our students the future and the province they deserve we need our government to:

Return the average class size in Ontario high schools to 22 students to ensure every student has access to the resources and courses they need to graduate.



Reverse funding cuts to education workers, like counsellors, psychologists and early childhood educators, so Ontario’s students can learn in a safe and supportive environment.

Study whether e-Learning is a viable and effective way for students to learn before making it a mandatory graduation requirement.

If you’re ready to stand up for Ontario’s students, email your MPP today! Let them know that Doug Ford’s cuts to education put our students’ and our province’s future at risk.