Media Release

Gene Lewis’ journey in education began with walking to and from a one-room school house in rural Ontario and ended working in the ETFO office in downtown Toronto. His teaching and union work began in Hamilton, continued in London (Thames Valley) and concluded in the role of General Secretary. He was always the union contact for his school and served in many capacities on local executives including president.

The formation of ETFO was a highlight in his career and a major benefit to all elementary teachers and education professionals in Ontario.

During his tenure as General Secretary, both the nature and complexity of issues facing educators, and by extension the Federation, grew exponentially. In its early years the groundwork was laid to build a new Federation that would become greater than the sum of its parts. Campaign 200, Accountability Yes: Recertification No, Building For Tomorrow, Close the Gap, strengthening the Defense Fund, the PA/PR Fund, OFL and CLC membership, focused collective bargaining, innovative professional growth programs, leadership in equity and social justice, advances for occasional teachers, membership for designated early childhood educators, the Humanitarian Fund, leading edge technology and building a new home are actions ETFO took to enhance the personal and professional lives of members. ETFO engaged members and became increasingly sophisticated in the use of political action, paid media and social media campaigns. The Federation distinguished itself as a principled voice for public education, and a strong collective bargaining agent for elementary educators.

Gene credits the strong and effective leadership in ETFO locals as a big factor in the achievements of the beginning years and the key to future success. He is very thankful to have worked with so many dedicated and caring provincial Executive members, each of whom brought a personal passion and commitment to the role.

Gene is particularly pleased to have worked with four provincial Presidents who shared a common desire to build a strong public education system for Ontario’s children and to build a strong union to promote and protect the welfare and rights of Ontario’s teachers and education professionals – Phyllis Benedict, Emily Noble, David Clegg and Sam Hammond, and expresses a debt of gratitude to each of them.

Gene believes that the many gains that have been achieved are the result of a strong effort by a dynamic and industrious support staff, a creative and dedicated management staff and an energetic and talented senior staff.

Media Release

The year was 1979, and with two years of teaching to her credit, Sharron Raymond found herself walking the pavement in the first ever Peel elementary teachers’ strike to ensure a fair and transparent staffing process, where seniority meant something. The flame of unionism was lit.

Following the Days of Protest, supported by her colleagues at Caledon East Public School, Sharron was elected to the Peel collective bargaining committee as chief negotiator. During the 2004 round of negotiations, after a straight 58 hours of head-to-head negotiations, Sharron’s team was able to achieve parity with secondary in benefit funding for elementary teachers.

In 2005, Sharron was acclaimed president of the Peel Elementary Teachers’ Local. With an amazing team including Tim Cunningham, Kurt Uriarte and Suzanne Gill, limits on staff meetings, supervision and report cards were achieved. As well, an admirably argued arbitration guaranteed Peel elementary teachers jurisdiction over preparation time. At the 2005 Annual Meeting, Sharron was elected to the provincial Executive. She takes particular pride in the accomplishments of two workgroups – the environmental workgroup that developed guidelines for locals and the provincial office to ensure that ETFO reduced its environmental footprint, and the disabilities workgroup that sought to ensure buildings, communications and ETFO events were accessible to all. During her second term on the provincial Executive, Sharron also served as an OTF Governor.

In 2008, Sharron joined the ETFO provincial office staff as Executive Assistant in Collective Bargaining. She has been honored to serve members from across the province. Frozen into her memory is the Keewatin Patricia one-day strike in 2012 that found her walking with local president Anne Saltel and her members in -25°C weather, not counting the wind chill. Equally memorable are the days spent hanging out in front of board offices organizing the DECE members. Sharron wishes to thank three wonderful Rainbow DECEs – Lynn and the Rebeccas – for sticking with her during the negotiations of a first collective agreement. Other memorable moments include working with a great team on Union School, liaising with the Collective Bargaining Standing Committee, sitting on a number of Ministry committees, midnight phone calls with CB colleagues and playing in the OTIP golf tournament with team Lee.

Today, Sharron can be found volunteering with Caledon Victim Services and Vera Davis Nursing Home, practicing Tai Chi or on the links with her husband.

Media Release

Following graduation from the College of Education in London, England in 1970, and with Margaret Thatcher as Education Minister at the time, things looked bleak in England. Canada, by contrast, was a shining city on the hill where, with a French teaching qualification in hand, work was rumoured to be available.

Martin landed in Montreal in September 1972, and by January 1974, was hired by the Toronto Board of Education to teach Core French in grades four to eight at Park Public School, now Nelson Mandela Park Public School. Two of the schools he taught at in the neighbourhood – Regent Park and Sackville – have since closed but Nelson Mandela Park Public School has benefitted from an amazing refurbishment to go with the name change.

The hiring freeze led to layoffs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and resistance and activism was strong, especially in the inner city of Toronto. Martin was fully engaged in the struggle, volunteering at a staff meeting to be the Toronto Teachers’ Federation (TTF) representative at his school. Martin’s involvement at TTF progressed to local executive member, full-time grievance officer, negotiator and ultimately president.

The 1980s became the 1990s, women and men elementary teachers joined forces, while Mike Harris joined the seven Metro Toronto school boards into one mega-board. Martin saw this as a challenge and an opportunity, and was elected to the local executive charged with establishing the new local. Martin served as grievance coordinator, chief negotiator and ultimately president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto Local, while concurrently serving three terms as a member of the provincial Executive.

Martin has never for a moment regretted his choice of moving to Canada, becoming a teacher in Toronto and being active in our teachers’ union. Mentors, colleagues and sister and brother activists have been essential to all of Martin’s endeavours, and while he feels the Honorary Life Membership truly belongs to them all, he is happy to accept it on their behalf.

Media Release

Ellen Chambers’ teaching career began as a special education teacher in Atikokan, Ontario, living in a former schoolhouse with no running water or electricity – a humble beginning to a memorable career. After teaching in Alberta beckoned for a year, she returned to Thunder Bay – continuing in Special Education and then moved on to a junior classroom. Laughing with her students and making sure fun was part of each day became her antidote to Rae Days, the Social Contract, Snobelen and Harris. Those years formed a strong unionist in her – becoming one of the original school stewards after ETFO was formed.

It was Ellen’s activism for making schools safe for LGBTQ students that led her forward. It was her goal to make sure children would never endure homophobic harassment in schools as her son had. She and her son Gabriel, their family and dedicated activists challenged the school system and eventually Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) were in all high schools, every employee received training, and policies were written and changed to protect children and staff. Today much of this model is reflected in province-wide legislation that aims to ensure the safety of all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Ellen served the Lakehead Teacher Local as their president for seven years. She is most proud of developing positive relationships with members and the board, for nurturing leadership in her local and helping her local become a leader in social justice and equity in Thunder Bay through many initiatives.

Ellen continues her many years’ involvement with community committees advocating for change and bringing awareness of racism, discrimination and LGBTQ concerns to the public and government. She was honored with the Humanitarian Award for an ETFO Member in 2006, and both the Thunder Bay Mayor’s Community Hero Award and the ETFO President’s Award in 2011.

With all this, she still felt a pull to do more. Ellen spent two of her most exhilarating and proudest union years as a member of the provincial Executive. Ellen credits the confidence she gained through her union involvement as helping her in her endeavors. She thanks the many people who tapped her on the shoulder. Ellen knows that we all have talents that others may see in us and she thanks ETFO for helping her find hers. She believes and knows we can each contribute to make this a better world for the children that brought us all to this profession.