An open letter to:
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario,
Paul Calandra, Ontario Minister of Education,
Rohit Gupta, Supervisor, Toronto District School Board
June 12, 2026
Cc: MPP Catherine Fife, NDP Waterloo
Re: The Underfunding of Ontario’s Education System
Mr. Ford, Mr. Calandra, and Mr. Gupta;
What kind of legacy will you all leave behind after being collectively responsible for sending Ontario into an economic downturn?
Instead of increasing badly-needed education funding—especially when the US has taken an increasingly aggressive economic and political position towards Canada, and when the entire world is reeling from uncertainty caused by the Trump administration—you have chosen to underfund the future of our children and grandchildren for generations to come!
As an educator, researcher and academic for more than 50 years;
As a leading international expert in microchip design and AI technology;
As an economic wealth-creator who graduated thousands of engineers into global industry (including a co-founder of the iconic Blackberry company of Waterloo);
And just as importantly, as a father and grandfather;
—I urge you on, behalf of all Ontarians, to reverse your damaging undercutting policies.
All of you have it in your power to leave behind an education system that deserves to be the envy of the world. Please use that collective power for lasting good.
Thank you in advance,
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, FRSC, FIEEE, FCAE, FEIC, Emeritus Professor of Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo; author of iMind: Artificial and Real Intelligence (Routledge 2024, translated into Chinese, 2025); co-author with Kareem Bannis MD of Dementia: Evidence-based Lifestyle Guidelines (Barnes & Noble, 2025).