ETFO local president re-elected, named to provincial board

(Source: ETFO)

The local president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has been re-elected to the position.

Mario Spagnuolo was re-acclaimed as the local president, and has also been named an executive on the provincial board.

Last week, over 700 delegates at the annual meeting of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario elected their provincial executives for 2025-27.

Over the years, Spagnuolo has served as president, first vice-president, chief negotiator, and member of the Collective Bargaining Committee for the Greater Essex County Teacher Local.

He says even though this is more work for him moving forward, it allows the voices of the Greater Essex local to be represented at the local and provincial level when it comes to collective bargaining.

Spagnuolo says by being an executive, they will meet on a monthly basis to give direction to the provincial organization.

“And one of our major tasks is to prepare for the 2026 round of bargaining. Our collective agreements expire August of 2026, and our members have been vocal about the cuts to special education, the cuts to classrooms, and the need for investment in our schools.”

He says it’s important for them to work with the other education affiliates.

“Like OSSTF, OECTA and AEFO, because they’re struggling with the same issues that we are. And if we come together and bring parents on board, we will be able to push back on the Ford government and force them to invest in public education instead of continually cutting.”

He says another local member is sitting on the executive board with him.

“Heather Latam is the local president of the occasional teachers. And so that brings a different kind of voice because those are teachers that go in to replace teachers who are absent, and so they have their own set of issues and needs that will now be heard by her voice being at that table.”

Spagnuolo was first elected to the ETFO provincial executive in 2017.

There are 84,000 members across the province that ETFO represents.

— Rob Hindi & Meagan Delaurier/AM800 News