PREAMBLE: This weekend, I came across a post on social media that resonated with me deeply. It made me reflect on the increasing pressures faced by working families and the ongoing attacks on our public education system. What began as a few scattered thoughts quickly evolved into a profound realization about how short-sightedness and political opportunism are jeopardizing the very foundations of fairness and opportunity in our society. If we don’t start planning with compassion, foresight, and a commitment to providing free, accessible education for everyone, we risk losing much more than just programs and jobs—we risk losing our future.

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In their race for short-term profits, many corporations are making a dangerously short-sighted move: slashing jobs and the roll out of AI integration while ramping up production. It’s a decision that undermines the very foundation of their success. By gutting the workforce, they’re not just saving money—they’re shrinking their customer base. Who’s left to buy the products when the people who once made them are now jobless or barely scraping by? This isn’t smart economics—it’s a self-inflicted wound. You can’t grow a market by destroying the consumers who sustain it. In pursuit of efficiency, these companies are hollowing out the future. It’s not just unjust; it’s economically suicidal.

The Strategic Assault on Public Education

At the same time, Ontario’s politicians are attacking the education system—not to balance budgets, but to win headlines and suppress dissent. Since Doug Ford’s government took office in 2018, education funding has been quietly gutted. When adjusted for inflation, per-student funding has dropped by $1,500, forcing school boards to cut staff, eliminate programs, and stretch resources to the breaking point. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) alone has faced nearly $900 million in cuts, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, fewer support workers, and deteriorating facilities.

This isn’t just mismanagement—it’s a calculated move to weaken public education and discourage critical thinking. The Ford government has seized control of four major school boards, including the TDSB and Ottawa-Carleton, sidelining elected trustees and centralizing power. It’s a tactic designed to silence opposition and accelerate austerity. Meanwhile, mandatory online learning requirements—two virtual courses to graduate—have allowed the province to reduce in-person instruction funding, shifting education toward a profit-driven model that benefits private vendors, not students.

Post-secondary institutions are also under attack. A cap on international student enrollment and stagnant tuition fees have triggered mass layoffs and program cancellations. Over 10,000 jobs and 600 college programs have been lost, disproportionately affecting students in rural areas, those with disabilities, and low-income families. Colleges like Conestoga have laid off 180 staff, while universities such as Waterloo and Laurier warn of long-term instability.

Special education is in crisis. 71 out of 72 school boards report deficits in funding for students with special needs. The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, for example, faces a $7.1 million shortfall, forcing painful cuts that directly harm vulnerable learners. These aren’t budget adjustments—they’re acts of sabotage against the very idea of equal opportunity.

By defunding education, discouraging critical thinking, and centralizing control, Ontario’s leaders aren’t just failing students—they’re shaping a more docile, less informed electorate. It’s a strategic assault on democracy, economic mobility, and the right to a better life.

Elites vs. Everyday Families

The same conservative politicians who claim that your child’s teacher is “overpaid, lazy, or indoctrinating students” are funded by a handful of elite Canadian families—families whose children attend exclusive private schools that most of us could never afford. These schools don’t just offer privilege; they guarantee a head start in life, creating an uneven playing field in the workforce and deepening social inequality. Our elected officials have little genuine investment in public education because they themselves were groomed in institutions out of reach for everyday Canadians—and their children continue to benefit from that same elite pipeline. When those in power are disconnected from the realities of public schooling, how can they be trusted to protect it?

The Hypocrisy of Corporate Leadership

It’s more than a little obscene to hear top-level executives scoff at frontline workers who dare to ask for fair wages, basic drug and benefits coverage, and reasonable vacation time. These same executives receive compensation packages so bloated that their benefits alone often exceed the entire salaries of whole departments. And let’s be honest—many of them didn’t get where they are through grit or innovation, but through connections, privilege, and generational wealth. While workers are told to “tighten their belts” and “be grateful to have a job,” executives cash out stock options, enjoy private healthcare, and take bonuses funded by cost-cutting measures that devastate everyday employees. The hypocrisy is staggering—and it’s long past time we called it what it is: exploitation, plain and simple.

The Real Cost of Leadership

Corporate leaders often blame labour costs for layoffs, but the numbers tell a different story. A 2023 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives revealed that ‘Canada’s top 100 CEOs made an average of $14.9 million in 2021—243 times the average worker’s salary.’ That gap isn’t about merit; it’s about power. Meanwhile, in the U.S., CEO pay has exploded by 1,460% since 1978, while worker wages have increased by just 18%. This is not a labour cost crisis—it’s a leadership cost crisis. Trimming just a sliver from the top could fund thousands of jobs and spark economic growth from the ground up. Yet instead of scaling back excess, executives demand sacrifice from those who can least afford it.

Automation for Whom?

If automation is reason enough to lay off cashiers and factory workers, why not apply that same logic to the C-suite? Many executive decisions—trend forecasting, strategic planning, even budget modelling—can now be replicated by AI. If technology can replace a warehouse crew, it can just as easily optimize a boardroom. Replacing or restructuring bloated executive teams would save millions, improve efficiency, and spare the livelihoods of workers who drive day-to-day productivity. But instead, companies protect the top while gutting the base—a choice that’s not just inefficient, but morally indefensible.

Who Pays the Price?

Racialized workers are consistently the first to be laid off and the last to be rehired—an injustice backed by data. According to a 2022 report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, ‘racialized workers in Canada face unemployment rates nearly double those of their white counterparts during economic downturns, despite having equal or higher levels of education.‘ They’re overrepresented in precarious, low-wage jobs with few protections, making them especially vulnerable when corporations cut costs.

Meanwhile, Indigenous communities face deeply entrenched educational barriers: underfunded schools on reserves, limited access to culturally relevant curricula, and a chronic shortage of qualified teachers. The Auditor General of Canada has repeatedly found that ‘per-student funding for First Nations schools falls far below provincial averages, perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization.‘ These aren’t isolated issues—they’re symptoms of a system that prioritizes profit over equity and convenience over justice.

The Future Depends on Us

We don’t have to accept this as the norm. If we want a future that’s fair, functional, and free, we must reject the idea that austerity always falls on the people with the least power. Today’s model—one that dismantles education, cuts jobs, and funnels wealth upward—isn’t just broken. It’s dangerous. A society where people are too poor to spend, too uneducated to think critically, and too powerless to resist is a society on the edge of collapse.

But change doesn’t start in boardrooms or backrooms—it starts with us.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Support frontline workers by backing unions, attending rallies, and refusing to cross picket lines.
  • Defend public education by contacting your MPP, showing up at school board meetings, and voting for candidates who prioritize students and teachers.
  • Hold corporations accountable by choosing ethical businesses, demanding transparency, and speaking out against exploitation.
  • Stay informed and organize—because knowledge is power, and solidarity is strength.

If those in power won’t lead us toward something better, then the rest of us must. Workers. Teachers. Voters. Organizers. We must demand a system that values people over profit, education over obedience, and justice over greed.

The future depends on us—not them.

Happy Civic Holiday!

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