Carleton University, University of Ottawa set to resume in-person learning
Students and faculty will return to campus for in-person learning at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University this winter.
Ottawa's two universities have announced that the campuses will re-open for in-person courses and activities.
University of Ottawa students will return to campus on Jan. 31, while Carleton University will resume in-person learning on Feb. 7.
Both universities moved classes online following the holiday break due to the rise of cases associated with the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
In a letter to students late Wednesday afternoon, uOttawa President and Vice-Chancellor Jacques Fremont says the return to campus will begin on Jan. 31 for students and professors.
"Information we have received to date from provincial and municipal public health authorities is unequivocal," said Fremont.
"The message is clear: under current conditions, we can envisage a return to campus in person starting January 31, so long as preventative measures are followed at all times, including mandatory vaccination, masking and physical distancing of two metres, along with other public health and safety recommendations. Vaccination remains our best protection against COVID-19."
All students and staff are required to have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the university is encouraging everyone to get their third dose.
Fremont says all in-person or bimodal courses will be given as initially planned for in the Winter 2022 term, and each faculty will provide information to students soon.
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
Carleton University President and Vice-Chancellor Benoit-Antoine Bacon says "barring another dramatic change in the trajectory of the pandemic", Carleton University will re-open its facilities and resume in-person learning on Feb. 7.
"I am grateful that our in-person activities for winter 2022 were carefully established with the health and safety of our community as our primary concern," said Bacon in a letter to students and faculty.
"Especially given that we have maintained physical distancing in all classrooms in designing the winter 2022 schedule, we are confident that these activities can be delivered safely in the present context."
Bacon says units in Phases 2 and 3 will resume in-person operations on campus similar to Fall 2021. Units in Phase 4 will be contacted regarding the scheduling of their return to campus.
Carleton is encouraging all students, faculty and support staff to get their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.