TORONTO, ON – Andrew Chittka, a teacher and president of the Bluewater Occasional Teacher Local, has been elected to the provincial Executive of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). 

“I am committed to continuing and broadening the conversations already happening within our organization around anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, making space for people from under-represented groups, systemic discrimination and leaving no member behind. I look forward to working towards the betterment of the lives of ETFO members, while prioritizing collective bargaining, defeating the Conservative government and upholding ETFO’s priorities,” says Chittka. 

Chittka began teaching in 2011 and has taught Kindergarten to Grade 8. He has more than 10 years of experience as a daily occasional teacher with the Bluewater, Upper Grand, Simcoe County and Halton district school boards. 

At the local level, Chittka was elected to the Executive of the ETFO Bluewater Occasional Teacher Local in 2013, and to the Upper Grand Occasional Teacher Local in 2020. Since then, he has served as secretary, vice president, and now local president and chief negotiator. Chittka has also served as a member of Bluewater Teacher Local’s equity and social justice, political action and new member committees. 

At the provincial level, Chittka has served on the ETFO Budget Committee and is a member of Representative Council. He has also been active with the Grey-Bruce Labour Council since 2015, attending monthly meetings, the annual Activist Dinner, and participating in local Labour Day parades and Pride celebrations.

ETFO represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province. Its Building Better Schools education agenda can be viewed at BuildingBetterSchools.ca.

Media Contact: Carla Pereira, ETFO Media Relations, 416-576-9074 or cpereira@etfo.org.