Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

What Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario does

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is a non-profit teachers' federation and the largest education union in Canada, representing approximately 84,000 members across Ontario. Its membership comprises public elementary teachers (73%), occasional teachers (26%), designated early childhood educators (DECEs), education support personnel, and professional support personnel. The federation was established in 2001 following the merger of the Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation and the Ontario Teachers' Federation intermediate unit, and operates from its provincial headquarters at 136 Isabella Street, Toronto. ETFO holds statutory bargaining agent status under Ontario's School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, which underpins its exclusive representation rights in collective bargaining with the provincial government and school boards.

ETFO's revenue model is structurally tied to membership dues from its 84,000 members, collected as a recurring subscription-like stream through employer dues-checkoff. The federation delivers services through seven core service areas: Collective Bargaining, Communications and Political Action, Equity and Women's Services, Health and Safety, Professional Learning/Curriculum, Professional Relations, and Administration. Its distribution model relies on 76 local chapters aligned with Ontario school board boundaries, school-level stewards, and a member engagement stack that includes the secure member portal (members.etfo.ca), email newsletters, ETFO Voice magazine, and events.etfo.org. The organization is governed by an elected Provincial Executive and operates as a member-owned federation.

ETFO's product portfolio extends beyond labor representation to include a portfolio of web-based services: ETFO AQ (Additional Qualifications courses for educators), ShopETFO (online store), ETFO Health and Safety resources, Building Better Schools (advocacy platform), ETFO First Nations/Métis/Inuit Education resources, and the ETFO ELHT Benefits Plan (health, dental, life and AD&D coverage). The federation is affiliated with the Ontario Teachers' Federation, Canadian Teachers' Federation, Ontario Federation of Labour, and Canadian Labour Congress, and has engaged in coordinated bargaining with four other Ontario education unions representing over 255,000 workers.

Name

Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

Legal name

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

Website

https://etfo.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is the largest education union in Canada, representing approximately 84,000 public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, DECEs, and education support personnel across Ontario through 76 local chapters, providing collective bargaining, professional learning, and advocacy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Union Representation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domain-Specific Curriculum (Literacy, Numeracy, Science, SEL, Motor, Arts) (EDACAJAB), In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Teachers union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Professional development courses
• Member advocacy services
• Education labour federation

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ETFO generates revenue through membership dues from its approximately 84,000 members, which include public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel across Ontario.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is a non-profit teachers' federation and labour union representing approximately 84,000 members across Ontario, including public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel. ETFO delivers collective bargaining representation, professional learning programs, legal and professional relations support, health and safety services, equity and women's services, advocacy, and communications through a network of 76 local chapters and dedicated member portals.

Product overview

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is a teachers' union representing approximately 84,000 members. Rather than a unified technology product, ETFO offers a portfolio of related web services and service areas: member-facing platforms including ETFO Secure (members.etfo.ca), ETFO AQ professional learning courses, and the ShopETFO online store; advocacy and education resources such as Building Better Schools, ETFO First Nations/Métis/Inuit Education, and the ETFO Collective Bargaining portal; member support services including Health and Safety, Professional Relations, and Equity and Women's Services; and publications like ETFO Voice Magazine and research reports. The ETFO ELHT Benefits Plan provides health and dental coverage. These products collectively support ETFO's mission of providing protective and professional services to members while promoting equity and social justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Building Better Schools: ETFO's education platform campaign to contribute to public discourse about making public schools the best they can be.
• ETFO Collective Bargaining
• ETFO First Nations, Métis & Inuit Education
• ETFO Health and Safety
• ETFO-AQ
• ETFO Voice
• ShopETFO
• ETFO ELHT Benefits Plan
• The Heart and Art of Teaching and Learning
• Professional Learning in the Early Years
• ETFO Members Sharing in Assessment

Products and services

• ETFO AQ Additional Qualifications Courses

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026ETFO and OECTA are part of Ontario's five education unions that jointly served notice to bargain in June 2026, representing over 255,000 teachers and education workers. The unions work together on collective bargaining and advocacy for public education.
• Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026ETFO and OSSTF are part of Ontario's five education unions that jointly served notice to bargain in June 2026, representing over 255,000 teachers and education workers. The unions work together on collective bargaining and advocacy for public education.
• Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026ETFO and AEFO are part of Ontario's five education unions that jointly served notice to bargain in June 2026, representing over 255,000 teachers and education workers. The unions work together on collective bargaining and advocacy for public education.
• CUPE - Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026ETFO and CUPE-OSBCU are part of Ontario's five education unions that jointly served notice to bargain in June 2026, representing over 255,000 teachers and education workers. The unions work together on collective bargaining and advocacy for public education.
• Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO is an affiliate of the Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents over one million Ontario workers belonging to more than 1,500 locals from 54 affiliated unions. ETFO works with OFL on campaigns and actions for workers' rights and social justice.
• Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO participates in the Canadian Labour Congress, which brings together dozens of national and international unions, provincial and territorial federations of labour and community-based labour councils to represent more than 3 million workers across Canada.
• Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO is one of four affiliates of the Ontario Teachers' Federation (along with AEFO, OECTA, and OSSTF). OTF is the official voice of all teachers in Ontario on issues including the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
• Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO is a member of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, which represents approximately 300,000 teachers across Canada through 15 provincial/territorial member organizations. CTF coordinates sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills among member organizations.
• Harmony MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO is collaborating with Harmony Movement as part of their Words Matter campaign to create new lessons that address homophobia and transphobia in schools.
• Enchante NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETFO has deepened its partnership with the Enchante Network to develop resources on intersectional identities and creating safer union spaces.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ): Quebec's federation of teaching unions representing pre-K, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary teachers. Functions as a regional counterpart to ETFO with a comparable scope of collective bargaining, professional development, and member advocacy responsibilities.
• Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA): Professional organization representing teachers in Alberta with a comparable mix of bargaining, professional development, and member advocacy services. Operates under different provincial labour legislation but targets an analogous member base of K-12 educators.
• British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF): Provincial teachers' union in British Columbia with directly comparable bargaining, professional development, and advocacy functions. Operates in a different provincial jurisdiction but is structurally the most analogous large provincial teachers' federation outside Ontario.

Others

• Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF): Provincial umbrella body of which ETFO is one of four affiliates (alongside AEFO, OECTA, and OSSTF). Coordinates issues including the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and provides a federated voice for Ontario teachers; not a direct bargaining counterpart but an enabling umbrella.
• Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE): National umbrella organization of which ETFO is a member, representing approximately 300,000 teachers across Canada through 15 provincial and territorial member organizations. Serves as a federating body rather than a direct bargaining agent, providing coordination, research, and policy advocacy.
• National Education Association (NEA): The largest labour union in the United States, representing public K-12 teachers and education support professionals. Functions as the closest international analogue to ETFO in terms of mission, member services, and advocacy footprint, though serving a different national jurisdiction.

Direct peers

• Canadian Union of Public Employees - Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE-OSBCU): Represents education workers (custodial, clerical, early childhood educators) in Ontario school boards and is a fellow member of the five-union coalition. Operates under the same collective bargaining regime and serves an adjacent but overlapping member base within Ontario's public education system.
• Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA): Represents English Catholic teachers in Ontario and is part of the same five-union Ontario education coalition with ETFO. Operates under the same School Boards Collective Bargaining Act framework and delivers an analogous set of bargaining, professional learning, and member services.
• Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO): Ontario's secondary school teachers' union and one of ETFO's closest bargaining allies. Member of the same five-union coalition that served joint notice to bargain in June 2026, with directly comparable collective bargaining, professional development, and advocacy functions for a different grade band.
• Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO): French-language teachers' union in Ontario and fellow member of the five-union coalition. Operates within the same statutory framework and provides directly comparable bargaining and professional services to French-language public educators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ETFOeducators
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ETFOprovincial
• Facebookfacebook.com/ETFOprovincialoffice
• Instagraminstagram.com/etfoeducators
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elementary-teachers'-federation-of-ontario

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario