Statement on Ford's Attack on Education Workers and Labour Rights
Horizon Ottawa denounces the Ford government's plan to remove education workers' labour rights and the government’s unprecedented and alarming use of the notwithstanding clause.
In an overwhelming 96.5% vote to strike, CUPE workers have made it clear that the government’s response to their proposals to improve their working conditions are unacceptable. These 55,000 education workers are 71-75% women and earn an average of $39,000 per year. Stephen Lecce and Doug Ford's conservatives are tabling legislation that would force striking CUPE members back to work under an insufficient and unfair collective agreement, removing their constitutional right to strike. This strategy is extremely heavy handed and will only exacerbate the problems of under-funded classrooms and under-paid staff. Horizon calls on the Ford government not to pursue these strike-breaking efforts and to instead conduct good-faith negotiations with these education workers.
Lecce and Ford have said a strike would hurt students and that's exactly what their government did time and time during the pandemic again through policies that led to unsafe learning environments for both students and education workers. Meanwhile education workers tirelessly worked to create safe learning conditions for students.
Horizon Ottawa also condemns to the highest degree the government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, a constitutional tool that allows governments to bypass the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The only government in Ontario to have ever utilized this tool is the Ford administration, setting a dangerous precedent for labour rights in the province and limiting the very small window when workers can legally go on strike.
Horizon is committed to promoting a strong publicly funded education system. During the municipal election, we advocated for school board trustees who have the best interests of students, teachers, and our communities at large in mind. We continue to support students and education workers by standing with CUPE in the fight for fair compensation.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: Horizon Ottawa Releases Donor Information from Osgoode By-election Candidates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09 June 2025
OTTAWA - Horizon Ottawa has released information about how candidates in the Osgoode by-election have financed their campaigns in an effort to improve transparency. The organization has consistently called on candidates to refuse contributions from the development industry based on the perception that this could create a conflict of interest when elected officials are tasked with decisions that would affect developer profits. The City of Ottawa already requires candidates to release a list of all donations over $100 following the election, but Horizon also stresses the importance of voters having access to this information before casting their ballot.
Of the eleven candidates registered in the by-election, Horizon was able to contact ten, six of whom responded to the request. Horizon’s findings can be seen in this chart:
Three candidates: Dalton Holloway, Jennifer van Koughnett, and Peter Westaway provided a list of their donors and were verified to have not received any funding from those connected to the development industry.
Greg Vail provided a list of donors and was found to have received two $100 contributions from donors who could be construed to be connected to the real estate development industry.
Isabelle Skalski and Dan O’Brien both claim to have received no developer-related funding, but did not disclose a list of their donors.
Doug Thompson, Colette Lacroix Velthuis, Guy Boone, and Bobby Gulati did not respond to Horizon’s request. While this does not necessarily mean that their campaigns were funded by developer-connected donors, Osgoode Ward residents will not have access to this information before selecting a councillor.
Horizon encourages each of these candidates to show voters that transparency matters to them and to make this information publicly available before election day on June 16th.
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For media inquiries:
English
Tom Ledgley
613-663-7018
French
Sam Hersh
613-663-7018
