Social Policy in Ontario

Ontario elementary teachers to get spending accounts for classroom supplies starting this fall, Doug Ford says

Posted on March 18, 2026 in Education Policy Context

Source: TheStar.com — Authors: Kristin Rushowy and Rob Ferguson

TheStar.com – Politics/Provincial
March 11, 2026.   By Kristin Rushowy, Senior Writer, and Rob Ferguson, Queen’s Park Bureau

The $750 yearly spending accounts to purchase classroom supplies are believed to be a first in Canada.

Ontario’s elementary teachers are getting their own $750 yearly spending accounts to purchase classroom supplies — believed to be a first in Canada and making the province one of just a handful of jurisdictions across North America that does so.

Premier Doug Ford, who made the announcement Wednesday along with Education Minister Paul Calandra and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, said he’s run into educators in the store buying items on their own dime, and “the days of teachers having to put their hands in their own pockets to pay for school supplies — those days are done.”

While teachers said they appreciate the gesture given they typically do personally cover the costs of some classroom items, they believe a lot of the things the new fund could cover — such as tissues, paper towels or pencils — should already be provided.

The new fund, pegged at about $66 million, will be a part of the province’s spring budget, to be released March 26. Teachers will get a chance to tell the government in an online survey what kind of items they’d like to see covered, and a new online portal will be available so they can make purchases with deliveries straight to their school.

Many GTA teachers spend hundreds of dollars a year on classroom supplies. Here’s why

Teachers are typically provided with small stipends to help purchase classroom supplies, but amounts vary and can be as low as $10 to $20 a year. For the past decade, teachers across the country have been able to access a refundable federal tax credit to help cover the costs of materials they’ve paid for.

Calandra said there is a patchwork of policies across the province, and teachers have told him the prices set by current board vendors are “far more expensive than if they were just going to go to Walmart or Dollarama … What we are going to do is bring the purchasing power of the entire province of Ontario.”

Critics question motive

No other provinces are believed to provide similar spending cards to educators, though a few U.S. states do. Those include Iowa, with $500 for new teachers and $200 yearly afterward; and Idaho, where $500 debit cards are provided annually with a set list of purchases that can be made such as whiteboards, cleaning supplies, printers and classroom storage. There, teachers are required to keep receipts for two years and provide proof of purchases if asked.

David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said the spending cards will be “well received” but questioned the motive.

“It’s being framed as a gift, which is just astonishing to me,” Mastin said during a separate news conference, held at Queen’s Park, noting “a very contentious round” of contract negotiations is looming later this year.

“We shouldn’t be looking at Kleenex, paper towels, pencils, pens, and paper stationery as gifts. Those things should be automatic in education,” he added. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this … It’s something that we should have already had in place.”

One Toronto elementary teacher, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told the Star she appreciates the provincial help, but said schools used to provide “all the textbooks, workbooks, pencils, paper and other supplies teachers needed. Teachers used to just purchase decorations and extras, which still ran about $1,200 a year.

“I’ve spent $3,800 this year,” the teacher said.

Classroom needs

Calandra said he’s “crossed the province, I’ve talked to a lot of teachers. Almost every single teacher, every classroom I go into, they tell me the exact same thing: ‘I need to have the ability to order things for myself so that I can address the needs of my classroom.’ ”

When asked if this was a way to “placate” teachers ahead of bargaining, Ford said he was “insulted” by the question.

“We appreciate our teachers,” he said at the announcement, held at Highfield public school in the city’s northwest end.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said while “any relief for teachers who are currently spending their own money on classroom supplies is welcome … The real solution is properly funding schools, so the resources students and educators need are already there.”

President Martha Hradowy said that her teacher members as well as educational workers in classrooms should have been included.

The benefit is only open to elementary teachers, which Calandra called a “start.”

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser was not impressed by the new fund, saying “I’m not going to turn cartwheels because the premier … announced something he should have been doing for eight years.”

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ontario-elementary-teachers-to-get-spending-accounts-for-classroom-supplies-starting-this-fall-doug-ford/article_f4687021-c4c4-4b20-9339-13e2aafa1313.html

Tags: budget, Education, jurisdiction

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