KIDSUP blog
Ontario education unions vote on strikes this November: what Ottawa families can plan now
Ontario education unions are holding central strike votes in November 2026. CUPE-OSBCU education workers vote from November 4 to 18, OSSTF/FEESO members from November 6 to 16 and ETFO members from November 9 to 18. Contracts in Ontario’s school board sector expired on August 31. A yes vote gives a union a strike mandate. Before any job action could start, Ontario labour law sets several more steps.
Published November 8, 2026. Sources: union bargaining updates and school board calendars, linked in each section.
Who votes, and when
| Union | Who it represents | Vote dates |
|---|---|---|
| CUPE-OSBCU | Education workers in school boards | November 4, 12:01 a.m. to November 18, 6 p.m. EST |
| OSSTF/FEESO | School board sector members: public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators and others | November 6 to 16 |
| ETFO | About 84,000 members: public elementary teachers, occasional teachers and education workers, in two separate votes | November 9 to 18 |
Sources: CUPE-OSBCU Bargaining Update #13, November 3, 2026; OSSTF/FEESO release, September 25, 2026; ETFO central strike vote FAQ.
In Ontario, ETFO represents public elementary teachers (ETFO) and OSSTF/FEESO represents public high school teachers, so these votes include teachers at public boards such as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).
What a yes vote changes
Under the Labour Relations Act, a strike vote passes when more than 50 per cent of the members who cast ballots vote yes. ETFO explains that a yes vote authorizes its provincial executive to choose job action “if needed, ranging from work-to-rule to a possible full withdrawal of services”. OSSTF/FEESO put it this way in its release: “A strike vote is not a strike, and it does not mean that job action is imminent or inevitable.” On September 25 the federation also wrote that there was no strike date and no job action planned.
ETFO lists the legal steps that come after the vote:
Source: ETFO, Frequently Asked Questions: Central Strike Votes.
Where bargaining stands in November
Both CUPE-OSBCU and OSSTF/FEESO refer to an Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) process on which bargaining items are negotiated centrally and which are negotiated locally. In its November 3 update, CUPE-OSBCU said it had concluded its arguments at the OLRB, that a settlement was not possible on November 2, and that it expects a decision “very soon, hopefully within the next two weeks”. It has agreed to bargaining dates on November 30, December 15 and December 16, and plans to table its proposals shortly after its strike vote ends.
In ETFO’s list of steps, conciliation and the No Board Report come after bargaining on central items begins. ETFO’s own history shows the range of what job action has looked like: in 2019 its members started with work-to-rule, which escalated to rotating strikes in the winter of 2020 (ETFO, Strike votes and strikes).
Days without school in Ottawa that are already on the calendar
Whatever happens at the bargaining table, these dates are fixed in the 2026–2027 calendars of the two English boards:
| Date | OCDSB elementary | OCSB |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, November 20, 2026 | PA Day | PD Day, all grades |
| Monday, November 23, 2026 | PA Day | School day |
| December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027 | Winter holidays | Christmas Break |
| Friday, January 29, 2027 | PA Day | PD Day, all grades |
| March 15 to 19, 2027 | March Break | March Break |
What Ottawa parents can do now
- Put the fixed dates in your calendar first. OCDSB elementary families have two PA days in one week: Friday, November 20 and Monday, November 23. OCSB families have November 20.
- Follow your school board’s messages and the unions’ public updates. ETFO says it will release its results to members soon after they are compiled.
- Read a vote result as a mandate. ETFO says that after reaching a legal strike position it must give five days’ notice before any strike action begins.
- Line up single-day backup care. A day camp that books one day at a time works for PA days and for any day schools announce as closed.
- Plan the winter break early. Two weeks of school holidays start on December 21, 2026.
How KIDSUP can help in Kanata and west Ottawa
Our PD Day camps in Kanata are single-day camps: you book only the days you need, and the day has a themed project (art, cooking or building), active games and shared snack and lunch breaks. We follow the Ottawa school board calendars, so send us your child’s PA day date and we confirm the spot. If your child’s school has a different day off, send that date as well and we check what we can offer for it.
For the holidays, the winter break camp runs during the Ottawa school winter holidays, late December to early January, and you can book single days or the whole break. Families who need regular afternoons can look at our after-school program.
Request a spot for a PA day or call 613-867-7786. Tell us the date and your child’s age.
FAQ: Ontario teacher strike vote 2026
When are the 2026 strike votes for Ontario teachers and education workers?
According to the unions’ own updates, CUPE-OSBCU votes November 4 to 18, OSSTF/FEESO November 6 to 16 and ETFO November 9 to 18, 2026.
Does a strike vote mean Ottawa schools will close?
A yes vote gives the union a mandate. ETFO lists further legal steps before job action: central bargaining, conciliation, a No Board Report, a legal strike position on the 17th day after that report, and five days’ notice.
Which PA days are coming up in Ottawa?
OCDSB elementary schools have PA days on November 20 and 23, 2026 and January 29, 2027. OCSB schools have PD days on November 20, 2026 and January 29, 2027.
Sources
- CUPE-OSBCU, 2026 Central Bargaining Update #13, November 3, 2026
- OSSTF/FEESO, Province-Wide Central Strike Vote November 6–16, September 25, 2026
- ETFO, Frequently Asked Questions: Central Strike Votes
- ETFO, Strike votes and strikes
- ETFO, media release on who ETFO represents
- OCDSB, 2026–2027 Elementary School Year Calendar (PDF)
- OCSB, School Year Calendar 2026–2027