Mike Schreiner, MPP for Guelph and Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, sent the attached letter to the Financial Accountability Officer, Peter Weltman, requesting his office look into the claim made by the Education Minister that the total cost to the education sector of accepting the OSSTF proposal will be approximately $7 billion.
Text of letter:
Dear Mr. Weltman,
I am requesting that your office provide independent financial analysis to verify the claims made by the
government with regards to ongoing contract negotiations with the Ontario Secondary Schools
Teachers’ Federation and the costs of the union’s proposal.
Multiple figures have been cited by the Minister of Education.
Some of the claims refer to annual costs, while others are cumulative over the life of a three-year
contract. At the same time, some of the claims refer to costs of the OSSTF proposal alone, while others
encompass the costs of extending the proposal to all education workers in the province.
Doubt has been cast on the Minister’s claims because they appear to contradict previous statements as
well as data published by the government itself.
This has led to significant confusion, and we owe it to the public to clear it up with an independent
analysis. MPPs need accurate independent numbers to make informed comments on the negotiations
and an informed decision if we are required to vote on this matter.
The most recent claim from the Minister of Education is that accepting the OSSTF offer of a two per
cent cost of living increase and a 6 per cent benefits increase would cost the province $7 billion by 2021-
2022 due to the me-too clause contained in other labour agreements.
I request that your office confirm the accuracy of this number and/or provide an independent analysis of
the true costs of the OSSTF proposal.
Sincerely,
Mike Schreiner