TORONTO, ON – Sylvia van Campen, a teacher and president of the Upper Canada Occasional Teacher Local, has been re-elected the provincial Executive of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). She was first elected to the ETFO provincial Executive in 2019.

“The past two years have presented us with one of the biggest educational disruptions in history. The pandemic, and a government with an agenda of privatizing education and funding cuts, require action. ETFO must lead in the defense of the safety and well-being of our members, and in protecting our world class education system,” says van Campen. 

She began her teaching career in 1995 after graduating from University of Toronto with a bachelor of education. Van Campen was a special education teacher at the Centre for Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation and at Neurolink Educational Services before teaching in Kawartha Pine Ridge. She then became an occasional teacher with the Upper Canada District School Board.

Van Campen was elected treasurer of the ETFO Upper Canada Occasional Teacher Local in 2001, vice president in 2007 and president in 2018. She has served as chief negotiator and grievance officer and as the ETFO representative on the Joint Health and Safety Committee at her school board. 

At the provincial level, she has been a member of the Budget Committee, Provincial Task Force on Equity, and Special Education Standing Committee. Van Campen also serves on the University of Ottawa’s Teacher Education Liaison Committee. 

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.