ETFO Full-Day All-Member Political Protest

A one-day political protest will cost you one day’s salary; if you vote “no” you will lose much more than one day’s salary beginning with the next contract. Your support for a full-day political protest will send a strong message that our profession deserves respect.

Members of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will lose one day’s credit toward their pension by participating in a one day political protest. The impact on an average teacher’s pension will be approximately $8 per year. The impact on a non-teacher member’s pension will be less.

We conducted an online vote.

A dedicated website was developed for the political protest vote to ensure all active ETFO members could access information from anywhere in the province and exercise their right to vote. The online voting website also provide information related to the political protest that ETFO members could review at their leisure before voting.

It is accessible. All members need to vote is access to any computer and an internet connection. It removes barriers to participation like weather, distance, traffic, childcare. It allows the member to vote at a time and pace that’s convenient for them. Online voting is endorsed by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities as an effective voting system that eliminates barriers to voting by those who require accommodations to exercise their right to vote.

It is secure. We are using military-grade encryption technology allows use from any computer without fear of interference/monitoring. There are multiple features included to prevent tampering. It is the same technology endorsed by Elections Canada and Elections Ontario for online voting. It is the same technology used by Ontario municipalities such as Markham during their online voting during municipal elections.

It is environmentally friendly. It virtually eliminates paper use and reduces carbon emissions because travel isn’t required to cast a ballot.

Yes. The Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario have been conducting online votes for several years.