Toronto (May 15, 2025) – Ontario Budget 2025, the first budget tabled by Doug Ford’s Conservatives since the recent election, is not a plan to protect Ontario, it’s a plan to reward Conservative insiders.
In the face of skyrocketing costs, job losses, and crumbling public services, Ontario Budget 2025 fails to deliver what Ontarians actually need: higher wages, strong public services, and decent, secure work. Instead, it doubles down on corporate handouts, privatization, and deregulation, most of it recycled from past announcements
“Workers have been clear about what they need,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). “Fair wages. Secure jobs. Public services that actually work. Ford’s budget ignores all of it, and working people are the ones left paying the price.”
Three months ago Ford forced a $189 million early election, claiming he needed a mandate to “build Ontario”. Today, he delivered a delayed campaign platform – three months too late, billions of dollars short, and nowhere near the mark.
Ontario lost 33,000 manufacturing jobs last month. Ford’s response? More of the same: a $1.3 billion expansion of the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit with no job guarantees, wage conditions, or community protections.
Meanwhile, the government is touting a $1 billion boost to the Skills Development Fund – but that means little when the jobs being created don’t come with decent pay, security, or benefits.
“Ontarians are scared about their future,” said Walton. “And year after year, this government tables budgets that offer no real solutions for Ontario workers and their communities.”
Ford continues to neglect Ontario’s care economy, sectors that are key to our global competitiveness and community wellbeing. Health care, child care, public education, post secondary, and public transit all remain underfunded. These sectors create stable jobs, support families, and build resilience. Ford refuses to invest in what works.
A serious plan would include permanent investments in key publicly delivered services – not just in skilled training centres, but in restoring core post-secondary funding. Ontario needs immediate, ongoing support to ensure everyone has access to education and retraining in today’s changing economy.
Ford’s so-called “nation-building” plan includes no new hospitals, no new schools, and no public care infrastructure, all while refusing to fund the workers who keep these systems running. Flashy capital spending doesn’t replace the operational funding that our public services need to thrive.
Uncertain times demand bold leadership. Removing tolls isn’t “financial relief”. Instead of real commitments to unionized job retention or direct engagement with affected communities, this budget offers little assurance in the face of low economic growth and high unemployment rates. Allocating billions into a contingency fund without targeted investments in job creation and retention, entire communities will suffer.
And while Ontario faces rising risks, the Conservatives are cutting wildland firefighter funding. “Ontario is on fire,” said Walton, “and Ford is letting it burn.”
Ontarians cannot be fooled by longer budget outlooks that defer critical actions. Workers, families and the communities they live in need solutions now. This budget is not just a missed opportunity but a stark reminder of a Government that is solely focused on profit rather than protecting Ontarians.
Despite a projected $14.6 billion deficit in 2025-26 and unstable U.S.-Canada trade conditions, the government is gambling on a narrow surplus in 2026-27 based on overly optimistic forecasts. Still, there is no serious plan to make life more affordable or secure for everyday Ontarians.
Media Contact:
Jenny Sellathurai
Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
[email protected] | 416-894-3456
cj/COPE343
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) issued the following letter to Ontario Minister David Piccini, Treasury Board President Hon. Caroline Mulroney, and WSIB President & CEO Jeff Lang on May 13, 2025. Download the letter here.
Dear Minister Piccini, Treasury Board President Mulroney, and WSIB President & CEO Lang,
RE: OCEU / CUPE Local 1750 negotiations and Support for a Fair and Timely Settlement
On behalf of unions representing more than one million workers in the province of Ontario, we stand in full solidarity with OCEU / CUPE Local 1750 in their current round of collective bargaining with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
Minister Piccini, Treasury Board President Mulroney and President Lang, we are deeply concerned about the issue of unsustainable workloads being faced by members of OCEU / CUPE Local 1750—workers who play a critical role in delivering vital services to injured workers and employers across the province.
The rising demands placed upon these employees are not only unfair but risk undermining the quality and effectiveness of the services provided by the WSIB.
These issues must be addressed seriously and urgently at the bargaining table.
We call upon WSIB leadership to engage in meaningful, good-faith negotiations that recognize the value and dedication of OCEU / CUPE Local 1750 members. We firmly believe that a fair and respectful settlement can and should be achieved—one that addresses workload, supports work-life balance, and ensures dignity for these workers.
It is our collective hope that a resolution is reached before any strike or lockout is imposed.
A work stoppage would not only disrupt services but further erode our trust that the WSIB is delivering on its mandate to support injured workers in Ontario accessing their workers compensation system.
This can and must be avoided.
We urge the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Treasury Board and the Minister of Labour, who has responsibility for the WSIB, to take this opportunity to demonstrate leadership and respect for these employees and all workers in this province, by settling this round of bargaining in a way that reflects fairness, equity, and sustainability.
Sincerely,
LAURA WALTON President
LW/RH/jc/cope343
C: OCEU / CUPE Local 1750 Bargaining Committee
Signed on behalf of the following individuals and organizations that endorse this letter, and the requests for action included herein.
Fred Hahn
President
CUPE Ontario
Karen Brown President
Elementary Teachers’
Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
Mike Gallagher
Business Manager
International Union of
Operating Engineers Local 793
Jeff Irons
Vice-President
IBEW Local 353
Erin Ariss, RN
President
Ontario Nurses’ Association
Rebecca Caron
President
IFPTE 160 – Society
of United Professionals
Blair Gallant
President
SMWIA Local 30
René Jansen in de Wal
President
Ontario English Catholic
Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
Kelly Belbin
President
COPE Ontario
John Di Nino
President
ATU Canada
JP Hornick
President
Ruth Lau MacDonald
Regional Executive
Vice-President
PSAC-NCR | AFPC-RCN
Karen Littlewood
President
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO)
Charlene Nero
President
LiUNA Local 3000
Jan Simpson
National President
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Guled Warsame
President
Unite Here Local 75
Ralph Martin
Chief of Staff
IAM Union
John Nock
President
UFCW Local 12r24
Terry Snooks
Director of Canadian Affairs
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada
Nigmendra Narain
President
Ontario Confederation of
University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
Craig Reynolds
Regional Executive
Vice-President
PSAC Ontario
Kevon Stewart
Director
USW District 6
As Canada’s largest labour federation, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) fights for positive change in every area that affects people’s daily lives.
At the OFL, we know that a good, unionized job is the best way to provide a safe and stable life for Ontarians. We believe that true reconciliation must go beyond words and acknowledgements and move to action. This must involve work to support the education of Indigenous youth and to increase the representation of Indigenous people in the skilled workforce and the wider labour movement, including among union staff, activists and leaders.
To this end, the OFL First Nations, Métis, Inuit Circle / Union Savings Indigenous Bursary has been established to support Indigenous students to pursue post-secondary education, as a pathway to meaningful work, careers and activism in the labour movement.
The bursary has a value of $5,000 and will be offered for the first time in 2025 to a First Nation, Metis, or Inuit student who is:
• The child/family member of an affiliated union or local, or;
• Is a member in good standing of an affiliated union or local of the OFL, and;
• Has been accepted and is enrolled in any accredited college or university in Ontario, or;
• Has a signed apprenticeship
Please help us spread the word by sharing information about the new bursary with Indigenous members and contacts.
A shareable poster is attached here.
The OFL FNMI Circle will review all submissions and select the winner.
Please submit answers to the following questions, as well as proof of admission or letter of intent by Friday, July 13, 2025 at 11:59 PM to [email protected].
*Submissions can be made in writing or by video.
Questions:
1. How did unions improve your life?
2. How AI might affect you, your job, your family?
3. Describe how your life has been positively impacted by your family’s involvement in a union.
4. Reflect on what you feel are the main societal issues that unions should be advocating for at this time.
5. As a child of unionized parents, how have union values and/or union organizing helped you overcome personal barriers related to your identity?
In solidarity,
Laura Walton
OFL PRESIDENT
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is seeking nominations from affiliates, local unions, and labour councils for the SOLIDARITY & PRIDE CHAMPION AWARD.
This annual award is to acknowledge and celebrate individuals or groups who have made a significant or ongoing contribution to the advancement of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQIA+) human rights, equity, and inclusion. We are seeking nominees who are leaders in advancing equity and quality of life for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in workplaces, communities, and globally.
The OFL encourages affiliates, local unions, and labour councils to view their nominees through an intersectional lens when making their selections. Affiliates are encouraged to nominate Pride activists who identify within equity seeking groups such as Indigenous, Black, racialized, and/or living with disabilities.
Solidarity & Pride Champion Award Nomination Form
Solidarity & Pride Champion Award Criteria
Please submit your nomination by completing the nomination form and submitting a letter of support explaining why the nominee is eligible based on the award criteria. Please include all the nominee’s contact information. All nominations must be made in writing and received at the Ontario Federation of Labour by August 31, 2025.
Selection: The OFL Solidarity and Pride Committee will review written nominations and make a recommendation to the OFL Officers and Executive Board.
For more information on the OFL SOLIDARITY & PRIDE CHAMPION AWARD, please contact Anne Marie Sutton via email at [email protected].
Yours in solidarity,
Laura Walton
OFL President
And
Susan Gapka Vice President, OFL Solidarity and Pride
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This is your labour movement, powered by over 1 million workers and 54 unions.
Today, we recognize and honour the leadership of Jagmeet Singh, a principled, relentless voice for Canada’s workers.
As Leader of the Federal NDP, Jagmeet Singh never wavered in his commitment to building a country where working people didn’t just survive, they thrive. From championing dental care to advancing the Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64), pushing through anti-scab legislation, and walking the picket line with workers, Jagmeet showed up.
He held those in power to account when they failed working people or turned a blind eye to oppression here at home and internationally. In moments of crisis – from a global pandemic to the affordability crisis to trade threats, Jagmeet has been a voice workers could count on. Jagmeet proved his solidarity isn’t just a word. It’s a practice. A commitment. Especially when other elected leaders saw it as an inconvenience.
At the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), we’ve had the honour of working alongside Jagmeet over the last decade at both the provincial and federal levels. He’s encouraged us in times of uncertainty to keep organizing and keep believing that a better country for working people is not just possible, but that the NDP is in the fight with us.
This may mark the end of his time as party leader, but it’s nowhere near the end of his fight. Jagmeet was an activist long before Parliament, and we know he’ll continue to join workers shoulder to shoulder on picket lines, and on the ground in our communities.
Thank you, Jagmeet, for your courage, your clarity, and your unwavering belief in the power of working people. The labour movement is stronger because of you.
COPE 343
