Member input is a critical piece of ETFO’s 2026 goal-setting process. In the Spring of 2025, ETFO obtained member input about 2026 central bargaining issues through our online all-member survey and random telephone sampling. In the Fall of 2025, member focus groups were conducted.
ETFO contracted a research firm, Strategic Communications (Stratcom) to assist with the surveying process.
ETFO’s Collective Bargaining (CB) Standing Committee is comprised of ETFO members from across the province who are appointed to carry out assigned tasks, or “Terms of Reference”, related to collective bargaining. The CB Committee is structured so that there is a member from each ETFO bargaining unit type (i.e., Teacher, Occasional Teacher, Designated Early Childhood Educator and Education Support Personnel/Professional Support Personnel) on the Committee.
The CB Committee’s Terms of Reference includes creating ETFO’s bargaining goals for each round of negotiations.
Member input about ETFO’s 2026 bargaining goals was reviewed by the CB Standing Committee in November/December 2025. Based on that review, the CB Standing Committee has developed draft central bargaining goals.
The goals were then forwarded to ETFO’s Provincial Executive.
ETFO’s Provincial Executive consists of fourteen members who are elected by delegates to the ETFO Annual Meeting. The Provincial Executive is comprised of:
- the president;
- the first vice-president;
- two vice-presidents;
- the ETFO representative to the Ontario Teachers’ Federation; and
- additional executive members as necessary to complete an executive of fourteen.
At a meeting in January 2026, the Executive received the draft 2026 central bargaining goals from the CB Standing Committee.
ETFO's Representative Council is comprised of leaders of each Local across the province. In February 2026, the ETFO Executive submitted the draft goals to ETFO’s Representative Council, who approved them, making the goals final.
