TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is fact-checking the claims made by Ontario teachers' union bosses and has released an
infographic today to counter the unions' misinformation.
"Ontario teachers' unions are powerful, well funded, and willing to spend and say anything to pressure taxpayers to hand over billions more," said Jasmine Pickel, the CTF's Ontario director. "It's important that taxpayers know the truth to understand the real problems with our public education system – not just the unions' self-interested spin."
Although the current government has brought education spending to a historic high (
$1.2 billion more than the previous government), Ontario's teachers' union bosses have spent
millions on advertising
campaigns claiming that the current government is making cuts to education.
While Ontario teachers' unions make demands that could cost up to
$7 billion, Ontario has now amassed over
$350 billion worth of debt and is projecting to run a deficit of $9 billion this fiscal year.
"Ontario can't afford to go further into debt or hike taxes to satisfy the union bosses' demands for bigger raises," said Pickel.
Currently,
per student funding in Ontario amounts to $12,246. That means that a class of 25 students would receive, on average, more than $300,000 in funding for the school year.
"Instead of asking for more money, teachers' union bosses ought to explain why $300,000 per classroom every year isn't enough," said Pickel. "A lack of funding isn't the problem."
