**NDP MEDIA RELEASE**

Gilles Bisson, NDP candidate for Timmins, said that Andrea Horwath’s plan to support teachers and education professionals to help students thrive in Northern Ontario is exactly what families need.

Bisson welcomed today’s endorsement by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), saying it shows strong support for Andrea Horwath’s plan to bring change for the better in schools for teachers, parents and kids.

“Teachers and schools in Northern Ontario are the heart of our communities,” said Bisson. “After years of cuts and school closures under Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals, teachers and parents are excited about Andrea’s plan for change for the better for our education system.”

Bisson said that families in Timmins are feeling relieved that they have a leader on their side to protect their schools and education for their children.

 

“When I am knocking on doors, parents are telling me how important their children’s education is to them, and that they are concerned about the future of our schools. Today’s endorsement from teachers shows that parents in Northern Ontario have an education champion on their side with Andrea Horwath and the NDP,” he said.

Andrea Horwath and the NDP’s plan for change for the better in education includes:

  • Eliminating EQAO testing
  • Investing in classrooms – and re-writing the education funding formula
  • Fixing crumbling schools, with a $16-billion investment
  • Putting a moratorium on school closures
  • Curbing growing class sizes, and ending kindergarten-Grade 1 split classrooms
  • Putting a cap on kindergarten class sizes at 26
  • Hiring more teachers, educational assistants, and education professionals
  • Stopping violence in schools
  • Continuing the curriculum review, while updating classroom materials to be inclusive of Indigenous and Black history and culture