Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.
Toronto – “The axe-man commeth and he is leaving a slash and burn trail of cuts that will, unfortunately hurt Toronto students and devastate public education in the city for many years to come,” says Sid Ryan the Ontario president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in highlighting the short-sighted $90 million in cuts made to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) budget by Tory government hired-hand Paul Christie.

Ryan points out that Christie has a mandate from the provincial government to cut jobs, programs and services regardless of the long-term impact on students and school communities.

“Christie wants to perpetuate the Tory-made artificial distinction between classroom and non-classroom. The reality is that schools function as a whole. And any cuts to staff, programs and administration will ultimately hurt students.”

“We already have schools with moldy, toxic classrooms and leaky roofs. Christie cut $13 million from school maintenance. This is, hurting students. There are already fewer school secretaries in TDSB schools than required by the Ontario government funding formula, but Christie cut another 100. These are the people who are the front-line staff dealing student needs daily,” says Ryan who points out that in total Christie’s cuts amount to 700 lost staff.

Ryan will be making a presentation to the Christie “public consultation” session tonight (Wednesday, November 20) at 8:00 p.m. at the North York Civic Centre Council Chamber, 5050 Yonge Street.

-30-

For more information please contact:

Sid Ryan, President CUPE Ontario, (416) 209-0066

Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications, (416) 578-8774