Ottawa parents call for COVID back to school plan as Premier promises a return to class
On Tuesday, it will be exactly six weeks until school returns in Ontario.
It's just enough time for unvaccinated teachers to get both doses and gain the full effects of the COVID-19 vaccine before stepping foot into a classroom this fall, but what awaits them, and their students, is still far from clear.
“We need to know what kids will need at school, what teachers are going to do to protect the kids and protect the community,” Francis Giraso said.
A father of two kids, including a six-year-old daughter, Giraso is concerned that without a plan his children could lose another year of schooling.
“It is very scary because we don’t want, at all, for the kids to lose two years in a row. Especially kids that need to socialize and play together, and learn together,” he added.
Speaking at a multimillion dollar funding announcement for the Ottawa Hospital Monday, Premier Doug Ford promised Ontarians kids would be back in the classroom this September.
“We’re going to make sure the kids are going back to school in September, they’re going to be in class. I want to repeat that, they’re going back even if I have to hop in the school bus and drive them myself,” Ford proclaimed.
Ford added that Education Minister Stephen Lecce and the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore are creating what he called a “strong plan” for a return to school that would be out “very shortly.”
Still, some parents say that information should already be available
“For me, it’s not a good thing, the government is really supposed to take that urgently and think about kids and teachers and for the school so it’s very important,” said Widner Arist, the father of a five-year-old boy.
The wait comes as calls from the opposition grow to mandate vaccinations for teachers and healthcare workers.
The premier said he wouldn’t force people to get a vaccine but hopes uptake in the school system will be high.
“Minister Lecce will be speaking to the unions regarding that. I’m just hoping the vast majority, hopefully 100 per cent of all the teachers, are going to get vaccinated,” Ford said.
Opposition MPP’s say hope isn’t enough.
“It takes some leadership to stand up and say we need to do, get everyone on board, not enough to encourage people we know we have to do more than that,” John Fraser, the Liberal MPP for Ottawa South said.
Ontario’s Science Advisory Table has recommended a return to in-person learning this September in all but the most extreme cases. They are also advising mask usage in moderate or high-risk situations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.