Dear Members,
Educators across the province are warning of the deteriorating state of public education. Not only are educational institutions – at every level – systematically impoverished in Canada’s wealthiest province, but legislators in Queen’s Park seem bent on intruding themselves in local governance matters. Evidence of this can be seen in the impact of Bill 33 on public Boards of Education, the proposed amalgamation of colleges (Fleming and St. Lawrence, for example), and the recently announced plan to shorten teacher training programs, a move with profound implications for our colleagues in the School of Education.
In response, the Peterborough and District Labour Council is organizing an All Out for Education Rally at the Office of MPP Dave Smith (864 Chemong Road) on April 29th (11:00 am – 2:00 pm). TUFA’s Executive Committee has endorsed this action and we encourage members to stand with other education workers, students, and the broader Labour community this Wednesday. A strong turnout sends a clear message.
Members attending the rally are asked to wear red or purple as a visible sign of Solidarity.
We recognize that the All Out for Education Rally overlaps with the Celebration of Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Research (noon – 2:00 pm) and that many members will have already made plans to attend Trent’s event. Even so, joining the rally for the first 30 minutes (11:00 – 11:30) would be a big help in getting it off to a strong start.
Please let us know at [email protected] if you can join us on Chemong for some, or all, of the Rally. We will have a supply of TUFA flags to lend to members at the event.