Reports Arising from 

Memorandum of Understanding

Three reports (below) were issued last fall 
that were negotiated by ETFO as part of a 
Memorandum of Understanding signed with the 
government in June 2013. They support ETFO’s 
2014 bargaining positions on these issues for 
central and local bargaining.

Ontario Regulation 274 Report

This regulation was introduced in 2012 to estab-
lish consistent hiring practices for occasional and 
new permanent teachers in all Ontario school 
boards. 

The study, Ontario Regulation 274 was released 
in November. It documented the challenges of 
implementing the regulation and its effects on hir-
ing with information provided by school boards 
and other education stakeholders, including 
ETFO. It concluded that in general the regulation 
does provide for fair, transparent hiring practices. 
To view the study see http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/
eng/policyfunding/memos/november14.html.

Task Force on Health and Safety

In October, the ETFO MOU Task Force on Health 
and Safety released its report with 22 recom-

mendations to make Ontario public elementary 
school communities healthier and safer places 
to work and learn. The report reflects the collab-
orative and productive work of task force mem-
bers representing ETFO and the Ontario Public 
Supervisory Officers’ Association, and task force 
advisors representing the Ministry of Education 
and the Ministry of Labour.

The overarching mandate of the Task Force was 
to examine the workplace health and safety 
issues confronting ETFO members, to provide 
information and make recommendations to help 
address these concerns. This was the first time in 
Ontario that a labour union, schools boards and 
government collaborated to identify how to cre-
ate safer and healthier school communities for 
staff and students.

The Task Force recognized that the working envi-
ronment for educators is the learning environ-
ment for students. It embraced a whole school 
approach where everyone in the school commu-
nity is committed to a positive health and safety 
culture. The report identified six leading issues: 
training; workplace violence and serious student 
incidents; lockdown procedures; Joint Health and 
Safety Committee (JHSC) effectiveness; environ-
mental issues such as indoor air quality, asbestos 
and construction; and the need for a provincial 
advisory structure to support the development 
of safer and healthier school communities. The 
report can be viewed at http:/etfohealthandsafety.
ca.

Teacher Workload and 
Professionalism Study

In November, The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of 
Ontario (ETFO) Teacher Workload and Professionalism 
Study was released by the Ministry of Education. 

The teacher workload study was conducted on 

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO

REPORT TO THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

Advancing and Protecting Our Union, Our Values and Our Profession

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Photo: Vitusha Oberoi