President’s Memo February 5, 2025 – Provincial Election and Endorsed Candidates

Dear Member, 

As you are likely aware, a snap election has been called in Ontario for February 27, 2025. There is no doubt that Doug Ford called this unnecessary and expensive election early for his own personal gain. He thinks that calling this election now will ensure low voter turnout, distract the public from more looming public scandals, and lead him to a third majority government. 

It is imperative that we prove him wrong. 

This election is one of the most consequential in the history of Ontario. That Ford would call this election during an impending North American trade war, is truly reckless and a frightening harbinger of what may lie ahead should he once again form government. 

A third Ford Government will result in the decimation of public services. The publicly funded education system, which is already in disarray due to a severe lack of funding, will continue to erode. The path to privatization will be wide-open, and Ontario’s students will be left behind as Doug Ford looks to extract value from our schools to hand over to his rich friends.. 

We need your help to ensure that we elect progressive candidates in Toronto who are willing to stand up for and fully fund our schools. A show of solidarity by OSSTF Toronto Members can have a decisive impact on the outcome.

The most important thing that you can do is vote. You can find information about voting on the Elections Ontario website. Below is the list of candidates that OSSTF Toronto has endorsed:

  • Marit Stiles (Davenport)
  • Adil Shamji (Don Valley East)
  • Jonathan Tsao (Don Valley North)
  • Stephanie Bowman (Don Valley West)
  • Vince Gasparro (Eglinton-Lawrence)
  • Lee Fairclough (Etobicoke Lake-Shore)
  • Tom Rakocevic (Humber River-Black Creek)
  • Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale-High Park)
  • Mazhar Shafiq (Scarborough Centre)
  • Andrea Hazell (Scarborough-Guildwood)
  • Thadsha Navaneethan (Scarborough North)
  • Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest)
  • Chris Glover (Spadina-Fort York)
  • Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre)
  • Peter Tabuns (Toronto – Danforth)
  • Jill Andrew (Toronto St. – Pauls)
  • Jessica Bell (University-Rosedale)
  • Paul Saguil (Willowdale) 
  • Faisal Hassan (York South-Weston)

Volunteering for our endorsed candidates is also very important. We can’t let the winter weather stop us – we need to knock on doors and spread the word about our endorsed candidates. 

This Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 11:00am there will be an education canvass for endorsed candidate and leader of the NDP, Marit Stiles at 1005 Bloor Street West. Hope to see you there. 

Check our website, and stay tuned for future emails about additional education canvasses and other opportunities to get involved. You can also sign up here to connect with our local Organizers. 

Thank you for everything that you do in support of your students, and in support of publicly funded education in Ontario.