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Schools in Ontario won’t re-open before the fall
June 10, 2021 · 0 Comments
If you have school-age children, you’ll have to keep them busy.
Premier Doug Ford announced last week schools in Ontario will not open until at least next fall.
The Premier, along with Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Health Minister Christine Elliott made the announcement during a June 2 press conference.
Premier Ford sent out a letter to public health units, education and teacher’s unions, medical and hospital associations, and the province’s advisory table and Chief Medical Officer of Health to seek information and input on whether schools should reopen during the current academic year.
While it is no secret that some people want students to return to class, The Premier said the government has not received sufficient assurance that opening schools would be safe.
The letter asked questions about the safety of reopening and the risk of daily case numbers of COVID increasing if classes resumed.
“They [experts] couldn’t tell us that it wouldn’t risk spreading dangerous variants and us moving to other stages,” Ford said. “Some of the variants we’re fighting right now are more dangerous for children. It can make younger people very, very sick and we also know that until we get more students [and] teachers vaccinated, outdoor activities are safe right now.”
In the meantime, he said the Province plans to continue to vaccinate students and teachers to prepare for a safe re-opening.
Step One of the planned re-opening of the province is scheduled for June 11.
Ford also criticized the federal government for keeping the borders and airports open, citing the fact that Pearson Airport has received tens of thousands of international flights during a time when variants of the virus are reported in foreign counties.
He also said that Ontario has different currently COVID restrictions than other provinces because of its larger population.
By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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