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Our Story

We’re the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association:

the largest official student stakeholder group in Ontario, advocating for over 2 million.

For over twenty years, OSTA-AECO has been a strong, effective, and positive voice for students. Our organization strives to empower students and work to improve public education across the province.

In addition to our advocacy work, OSTA-AECO provides rich professional development for Ontario student trustees. OSTA-AECO hosts three annual conferences, as well as a variety of other events.

1997

For the Love of Learning

  • The Royal Commission releases a report titled “For the Love of Learning,” recommending that “all [school] boards have at least one student member, entitled to vote on all board matters, subject to the usual conflict-of-interest and legal requirements”

1999

Education Quality Act

  • Conservative Premier Mike Harris introduces the Education Quality Act which mandates that all school boards include pupil representatives. The bill passes, and by 1999, all school boards include pupil representatives

2000

OSTA-AECO is founded

  • The Ontario Student Trustees’ Association is founded and their inaugural meeting is held in Toronto, uniting student trustees from the English-Public, English-Catholic, French-Public, and French-Catholic school systems

2001

Stakeholder Status

  • OSTA-AECO receives official stakeholder status with the Ontario Ministry of Education, a major win for student voice across the province and a promising sign for continued collaboration with the Ontario government

2006

Revitalization

  • OSTA-AECO’s report, The Student Trustee: Today and Tomorrow, causes the Liberal government to revitalize the role by renaming it to student trustee; provides the role with equal access to board resources as their adult trustee counterparts

2010

Ontario Student Survey

  • OSTA-AECO launches the Ontario Student Survey in partnership with Student Vote, People for Education, and Scholarships Canada to collect feedback on pressing issues in Ontario education. The survey goes on to collect over 10,000 responses in subsequent years

2019

Vision Document

  • OSTA-AECO launches its vision document, The Students’ Vision for Education, which lays out a broad, bold, and ambitious roadmap to change Ontario’s education system for the better. The report makes 35 recommendations across 6 pillars

Today

The work continues

  • We continue to advocate for the student voice in our local communities and on the provincial stage