Roughly 100 Canadian Union of Public Employees workers with supporters marched to MPP Andrew Dowie's office.
On Friday, the march was in hopes of bringing a message to the provincial government that they need to address the needs of the public school system.
The march came one day after the Ontario's Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, announced $600-million of funding for the 2022-23 school year to help students who have been "set back" due to the COVID-19 pandemic with tutoring and more focus on math and literacy.
$365-million of the $600-million will be put toward an application that parents can apply to for Ontario's 'Catch Up' payments of up to $250.
Mario Spagnuolo, President of the local Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, says more money should be invested into the education system.
"The best way to handle the situation that we currently have, is to invest in our public education system. The $200 is not going to get parents much tutoring to begin with. I mean, the minister can use this words and dangle carrots, but the fact is he's robbing from the public education system."
He says the workers do not want to strike, but they want a fair settlement.
"I know the government is trying to fearmonger that teachers and education workers want to jump to a strike, that's the last thing that we want to do. What we want is a negotiated settlement that addresses the issues that we have been advocating for prior to the pandemic, where we need an investment in our system."
Spagnuolo says parents also see that the government are refusing to listen to those on the front line.
"Parents understand that because they're seeing their kids go without the services that they deserve. And until the government comes to the table to properly address this, and take it seriously, we're going to continue to lobby, we're going to continue to be vocal because at the end of the day it's our kids that deserve this. And our public education system deserves this."
CUPE will be in a legal strike position as of November 3, though CUPE is still required to give five days' notice of any job action.
The union is looking for annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent and the government in response has offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all other workers.