Ontario Liberals pledge to add COVID-19 vaccine to school immunization list
The Ontario Liberals say they would add COVID-19 vaccination to the immunization schedule for schools, if elected.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca says the best way to get back to normal is to make classrooms safer.
He says he would add COVID-19 to the list of nine other vaccines on the school list and would require all front-line educators to be immunized.
But Del Duca says current exemptions will continue to apply.
Parents can exempt their kids from the school vaccination requirements through either a statement of medical exemption, or for reasons of conscience or religious beliefs.
About 35 per cent of children aged 5-11 have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 93 per cent of teens aged 12-17 have received two doses.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air quality in parts of Canada among the worst in the world due to wildfires
Wildfire smoke prompted warnings about poor air quality for many regions across the country, stretching from northern Alberta to the Atlantic.

Poilievre threatens to filibuster budget bill if Liberals don't meet demands
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to use procedural tools to delay passage of the federal budget in the House of Commons if the Liberals don't meet his demands.
Conservatives call on feds to see killer Bernardo returned to maximum-security prison
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to use whatever tools it can to reverse a decision by the Correctional Service of Canada to transfer killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
EXCLUSIVE | Feds providing $1.5M for increased security at Pride events across Canada
The federal government will be providing $1.5 million to Pride organizations across the country for increased security measures at parades and other events this year, CTV News has learned.
Prince Harry a no-show on first day of court showdown with British tabloid publisher
Prince Harry's phone hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror kicked off Monday without him present -- and the judge was not happy.
Flair tops Canadian airlines with average number of complaints per 100 flights: CTA
The Canadian Transportation Agency says Flair Airlines Ltd. has the highest number of complaints per 100 flights of all the major airlines in Canada, as airlines have had a rocky recovery year with delayed and cancelled flights.
WATCH | Safety campaign shows falls, close calls involving kids in train stations
Australia's transit society Queensland Rail is using CCTV video of real-life falls and near-miss involving children at train stations in a new safety campaign.
Anand: China irresponsible over Taiwan Strait collision risk with Canada, U.S. ships
Defence Minister Anita Anand says Beijing acted irresponsibly on the weekend in the Taiwan Strait, where Washington says a Chinese warship forced a U.S. vessel to avoid a collision near a Canadian frigate.
WATCH LIVE | Wildfire risk remains well above average across Canada this month
An area of land 11 times bigger than the city of Toronto burned from wildfires in the past four days -- Canada's worst spring wildfire season to date.