Mark Kissel

Father, Husband, Activist, Teacher, & Musician.
Executive Officer, OSSTF Toronto Teachers Bargaining Unit.

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

One of the most fun assignments for my job is organizing social events.

Today was an awesome day at the ballpark with 200+ @OSSTFtoronto Teachers' Bargaining Unit Members and their families/friends watching the @BlueJays defeat the Orioles 6-4!

And we were on the Jumbotron!

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

Teachers at Virtual Secondary School and Leaside HS are seeing red over the massive underfunding of education in Ontario. They are also wearing red on this Province-wide Day of Action! #onpoli #osstf

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

Teachers at Northview and SATEC are joining thousands of others across Ontario to speak out against the massive underfunding of education on this Day of Action. #osstf #onpoli

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

Teachers at Lakeshore CI and Bloor CI are wearing red today on this Province-wide Day of Action because they are tired of the political games and underfunding of public education in Ontario. @osstf #onpoli

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

OSSTF Toronto Teachers Executive wearing red today on this Province-wide day of action to speak out against the Ford government's massive underfuding of public education. Teachers across the city and the Province are joining in and demanding investments in our kids! #onpoli

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

The Ford Government's beef with Toronto continues - TDSB has over twice as many students as the TCDSB - and yet the number of trustees will be the same. Clearly an attack on democracy for the people of Toronto. #onted #osstf

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

A great weekend of music making with the @OakSymphony. My awesome low brass section knocked it out of the theatre playing Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony and Sibelius' Violin Concerto!

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

OSSTF Toronto Teachers are wearing pink today to stand up against homophobia on International Day of Pink. #osstf

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

This weekend I got to play alto trombone in Mozart's Requiem with the @BurlingtonSO and the @GuelphChoir.
Bucket list moment: playing the Tuba mirum solo in the Dies irae section of the mass.

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

OSSTF Toronto is gathering with education workers, parents and community members at Queen’s Park in support of public education. Fighting for the future of Ontario. #osstf #onpoli

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

Students, workers, and allies gathered at Queen’s Park today to demand action!

No tuition hikes.
No OSAP cuts.
Real investment in public education.

#OSSTF members were proud to join the rally and support students fighting for accessible education for all.

#SaveOSAP #HandsOffOurEducation #OntEd

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

Proud to stand up to Doug Ford for post-secondary students and the future of our province!

[Toronto Teachers @OSSTFtoronto]

OSSTF Toronto was pleased to support the Hands Off Our Education Rally today at Queen's Park. All Out! #onted #onpoli #osstf

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

Post-secondary students are organizing, and #OSSTF is proud to join them in demanding better!

On March 4 at 12:30 PM, students, instructors, parents, and community members will gather at Queen’s Park to demand NO cuts to OSAP and real investments in public education.

Join the rally hosted by @CFSON, outside of working hours, and send a clear message: Hands off our education.

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

I am deeply saddened by Joel's sudden passing.

We knew each other from our student union days 25+ years ago, and reconnected through OSSTF when he became Associate General Secretary.

My heart goes out to his family during this extremely difficult time.

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of OSSTF/FEESO’s Associate General Secretary, Joel Duff. This is an unimaginable loss to our Federation, as Joel represented the very best of us.

Joel joined OSSTF/FEESO in August 2023 as a dedicated labour activist committed to protecting public education. Joel spent the entire 21st century in service of the broader labour movement in a wide range of elected and staff roles. These included serving as the Ontario Organizer for the Canadian Federation of Students, Communications Director for the Ontario Federation of Labour, Executive Political Assistant to the President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and the Associate Executive Director of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations.

Joel came to OSSTF/FEESO with a clear vision: to defend and strengthen public education. He joined a union that had long been at the forefront of change but also stood on the cusp of transformation. With conviction and principle, he set out to strengthen the Federation’s organizing and mobilizing strategy for the challenges ahead.

Joel reflected the best qualities of a deeply committed colleague, comrade, and friend. He took the time to understand people and what made them unique, and believed that every person, regardless of their title or role, played a part in building a movement and he made that belief felt. Joel leaves a lasting impact on many across the country, within the labour movement and beyond. He will be remembered with great affection by his neighbours, coworkers, friends, allies, and comrades. OSSTF/FEESO is committed to continuing his work in fighting for a just society for students and workers alike.

We extend our sincere condolences to his partner, Lauren, their two children, and all his loved ones.

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

It's been a fantastic weekend of learning at the @otffeo Symposium "Empowering teachers for today & tomorrow"!
#osstf

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

An excellent weekend of music making with the @OakSymphony, playing a Canadian premier (Schreker), Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major (with Oakville's own Ryan Huang), and Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 in e minor!

[Toronto District School Board @tdsb]

All TDSB schools and sites, including child care centres, are closed today due to the weather forecast.

[Mark Kissel @MarkOSSTF]

Always a fun afternoon playing the annual Family Holiday Concert with the @OakSymphony!
The brass section dressed up in our best ugly sweaters, and a special guest Elf on the Shelf came to play a tune with me!

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

Students and staff deserve stability, transparency, and real investment.
@OSSTFtoronto has serious concerns about the sudden firing of the TDSB Director of Education.

Local President Michelle Teixeira warned that this move comes from a government that continues to distract from chronic underfunding of public education.

“We worry that this move is more political games being played at the expense of students.”

Students and staff deserve stability, transparency, and real investments, not political interference in public education.

📰 Read more via the Toronto Star: https://t.co/tlFwKgLMrU

#OSSTF #OntEd

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

On December 6th, 1989, 14 women were murdered at Polytechnique Montréal just because they were women. 

We remember them, and we confront the reality that gender-based violence continues in Canada.

Femicide and intimate partner violence are rising. Misogynist, transphobic, and homophobic hate puts women, girls, and gender-diverse people at risk every day. First Nation, Métis, and Inuit women, girls, and Two-Spirit people face rates of violence more than 6x higher than non-Indigenous women.

#OSSTF remains committed to safe, inclusive schools and workplaces. Our Women’s Advocate Program supports women members facing violence and harassment, and we continue to push governments to act, including calling on the Ford government to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario.

We remember them. We stand in solidarity. We demand action.
Never again.

Our full statement: https://t.co/zSrbmwfnLk