The head of the union representing elementary teachers at Ottawa’s English public school board says the city’s “unicorn” status is being put at risk by the province’s current bargaining strategy.
Brian LeSage is the president of the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, which speaks on behalf of roughly 3,500 members who work in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) and are currently preparing to head back to the classroom.
But with the school year just around the corner, contract negotiations between education unions and the province have become bogged down.
Talks have been stalled by debate over what should be dealt with at the central bargaining table and what should be left for the local level, according to union officials.
They said “big ticket” issues are traditionally discussed at the provincial level but that Ontario’s government is trying to change that.
“I was frankly shocked to see the list of things the government wants to take over centrally,” said LeSage.
“It’s obvious that they want to almost completely strip power away from local boards, which is consistent with what they’ve done in stripping power from trustees.”
‘Zero faith’ in Queen’s Park controlling Ottawa staffing
That’s where the unicorn comparison comes in.
LeSage provided staffing as an example of the type of basic item that is normally worked out between boards and local unions.
Posting vacancies and transferring teachers between schools is especially important in Canada’s capital where bilingualism and access to French instruction is crucial, he said.
“We are really a unicorn in the province,” LeSage said, adding that the specific needs of Ottawa’s students wouldn’t occur to government workers in Toronto.
“I have zero faith in the ability of Queens Park to be able to staff Ottawa schools in a way that our parents and our community would want them to be staffed,” he said.
Brian LeSage is the president of the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, which speaks on behalf of roughly 3,500 members who work in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). (Courtesy Brian LeSage)
Minister says schools will open ‘as usual’
Education Minister Paul Calandra dismissed those concerns during a media conference Thursday.
He acknowledged a “bit of an impasse” over what should be negotiated centrally but maintained “this is certainly not new.”
“You can’t negotiate wages, you can’t negotiate classroom sizes if you don’t know exactly what you’re negotiating centrally and what you’re negotiating locally,” Calandra said.
The minister said he remains optimistic about the chances of a negotiated settlement and added he’s confident “school[s] will open as usual.”
Education Minister Paul Calandra, left, told reporters on Aug. 20, 2026 he’s optimistic about negotiations and expects schools to open in September as usual. (Andrew Lupton/CBC News)
NDP critic says province is looking for a ‘fight’
Ottawa West–Nepean MPP Chandra Pasma, who serves as opposition critic for the NDP, struck a different tone last week about the status of bargaining.
“It’s really frustrating that here we are, mere weeks away from the start of the school year with no certainty, no timeline for negotiations,” she told CBC in an interview on Aug. 13.
Pasma said she believes Calandra is “approaching this as an opportunity to have a fight,” rather than focusing on reaching a fair deal.
Chandra Pasma is MPP in Ottawa West—Nepean and the NDP’s education critic. (Submitted)
LeSage, the local union president, said teachers are “not naturally a combative group” but willing to fight if they have to.
“If we can’t get the government to agree to do what needs to be done, funding schools, smaller class sizes, then teachers are going to have to take action,” he said. “Education is too important, and if we don’t do it … no one else will.”