Toronto ON: While Ontario teachers participate in today’s province-wide strike to demand higher raises, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is lifting the curtain on teacher pay: more than 10,000 teachers in Ontario earn a salary over $100,000 per year, according to the province’s public sector salary disclosure list.

“In total, there are more than 10,000 Ontario teachers on the sunshine list,” said Jasmine Pickel, the CTF’s Ontario director. “It’s unfair to force struggling taxpayers who on average earn a fraction of that amount to top up teachers’ six-figure salaries.”

Adding in the value of their taxpayer-funded benefits and pension contributions, top earning Ontario teachers take home a total compensation of more than $120,000 per year. If these teachers get the bigger raises their unions are demanding, they’ll get a $6,000 bump to their salary over the entire three year period the contract covers.

“Ontario’s the largest subnational debtor on the planet, yet we have some of the best paid teachers on the planet,” said Pickel. “We can’t afford to go further into debt or to pay more in taxes to give already well paid teachers an even bigger raise.”

- 30 -

Jasmine Pickel

Ontario Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

[email protected]

416-573-5458