An Ontario high school teachers' union has unveiled a new ad campaign that takes a satirical jab at Premier Doug Ford's approach to public education funding.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) on Wednesday unveiled "Ford High," a multi-channel satirical ad campaign "set in a dystopian future where students are faced with a series of unfortunate events."
On Wednesday, teachers, students and union members attended a screening of the trailer for the fictional teen TV drama at Hot Docs Cinema on Bloor Street West.
In an online post about the campaign, the OSSTF jokingly labelled the imagined show a "drama / horror / dark comedy."
"This project is both deeply serious but undeniably creative," the president of the OSSTF, Karen Littlewood, told the audience during the livestreamed screening.
"Imagine a world where teenagers are simply trying to have the best school year ever. They want to ace their exams, star in the school play and maybe even figure out where they want to be when they grow up," Littlewood said.
"But in the background of this idyllic coming-of-age story, the school is falling apart — literally and figuratively," she continued. "And that’s what we’re premiering here tonight, a satirical trailer for a fictional TV show. But don’t let the humour fool you. This is an urgent call to action."
'Budget cuts' and deteriorating school amenities
In the 60 second trailer promoting the fictional "Ford High'" TV show, a group of friends are seen meeting in a high school where a locker door falls off its hinges.
The fictitious students attempt to locate their home room class only to find the room is so crowded that there’s no place to sit.
When lunchtime arrives, meals in the cafeteria are sold out due to "budget cuts."
In gym class, the students have to pretend to pass the ball around because "the school has no balls."
Later in the day as students rehearse a play, a chunk of the ceiling falls to the floor and nearly hits a teenager in the room, to the shock of other classmates.
"For years we have watched the Ford government do everything they can to dismantle Ontario’s public education system," Littlewood said at the screening. "Schools are falling apart. Staff are beyond stressed out, overburdened and student futures are at risk."
'Band-Aid' solutions
Littlewood said Ontario schools are resorting to "putting Band-Aids on Band-Aids" in order to keep things running.
She said the goal of the union's campaign is to make the many issues present within Ontario's public schools impossible to ignore.
The OSSTF has more than 60,000 members, including high school and occasional teachers, educational assistants and many other public school staff.
You can watch the livestreamed coverage of the premiere, featuring interviews with teaching staff, online.
More information about their satirical awareness campaign is available at at FordHigh.ca
