Ontario post-secondary schools told to prepare for normal fall with backup plans
Ontario colleges and universities should prepare for all in-person classes and activities to resume this fall without capacity limits or physical distancing, the government says, though many institutions will still use a mix of in-person and online learning.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has told the institutions to have plans for how learning will continue in the event of COVID-19 outbreaks.
"While we must remain vigilant and responsive to the trajectory of COVID-19, I am optimistic that the (post-secondary education) sector will resume many of the cherished in-person experiences that have been on pause for so long," deputy minister Shelley Tapp wrote in a recent memo to the institutions.
Tapp said it's "anticipated" that all in-person instruction and on-campus activities will be allowed again this fall, after more than a year since they were paused due to the pandemic.
Universities and colleges will still have to follow all public health and workplace safety rules, including requiring masks indoors, Tapp said.
The schools will still have flexibility to offer teaching in a variety of ways that best suit their needs, Tapp wrote, including virtual and hybrid models.
The University of Windsor is planning for on-campus activities to resume and for a mix of face-to-face, hybrid and online courses. A spokeswoman said a variety of factors went into deciding which methods would be used for which courses, including class sizes, student population, facilities, and whether the course relies on lectures or labs.
"For example, students in fine arts-acting have a strong need to have their course material delivered in person, while other students who receive their courses in a more traditional lecture-style way do not," said Lori Lewis.
Capacity limits and distancing are currently part of the university's fall plan, but Lewis said it is constantly evolving.
McMaster University is offering courses that are listed as either in-person, online, virtual, or a combination. It is telling students that for "in-person" courses, "there will be varying levels of in-person engagement throughout the term."
Seneca College is also planning a mix of four approaches: online, in person, hybrid -- which will involve some online instruction and some hands-on lab time in class -- and flexible, which involves students choosing when to watch a lecture online and when to attend in person, for example.
Queen's University, however, is preparing for a full return to campus for September, with no class-size limits or physical distancing requirements, though masks will still be required in indoor common areas.
In case of COVID-19 outbreaks, institutions must have a "continuity of education" plan ready by September, including information on health protocols in the event of an emergency and how instruction will continue if in-person learning is disrupted.
Specific guidance from the ministry on measures such as masks, screening and cleaning is set to be issued in early August.
The ministry is encouraging schools to use rapid antigen testing for routine screening of asymptomatic people, as well as wastewater surveillance for levels of COVID-19.
The NDP's colleges and universities critic, Laura Mae Lindo, said resuming classes "is more complicated than just opening the doors," and called for the government to provide increased funding, including for onsite rapid testing and upgraded ventilation systems.
The province announced approximately $100 million in March for post-secondary schools that have lost revenue while incurring additional pandemic-related expenses.
The Council of Ontario Universities has said the institutions are facing a shortfall of $500 million related to the pandemic.
Provincewide, there were 130 new cases of COVID-19 reported Monday and no new deaths. Eighteen of the new cases are in Toronto, 17 in Peel Region, 16 in the Region of Waterloo, 14 in Hamilton and 10 each in Grey Bruce and Middlesex-London.
There were 11,567 tests completed in the previous day. There are 151 people in intensive care in hospitals due to COVID-related critical illness and 94 patients are on ventilators.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 91,320 vaccine doses were administered in the previous day, for a total of more than 18.2 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'