Original written by Nigel Barriffe for School Magazine.
In my role as an education advocate, I have had the opportunity to visit schools across Toronto, speaking with teachers, education workers, and administrators. Over and over again, I hear the same concerns—overwhelming workloads, burnout, and a struggle to recruit and retain teachers. Schools are collapsing under the weight of underfunding, and the results are undeniable: children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) not receiving the support they need, growing class sizes, and staff being stretched to their limits. These are not isolated issues. They are the direct result of seven years of cuts under Doug Ford.
Yet, as I travel across the city, I also hear something else—apathy. “What’s the point?” “Doug Ford will win anyway.” “I’m too busy just trying to survive.” And I get it. Ford has built a system designed to exhaust us, to wear us down until we feel powerless to change anything. But we are powerful, and that’s exactly what he’s afraid of.
