Ontario premier says 'very comprehensive' back-to-school plan will be revealed next week
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has confirmed a back-to-school plan will be released early next week, saying he has “every confidence in the world” the province will be ready for September.
Ford made the comments on Wednesday at a press conference in Thunder Bay.
"It's a very comprehensive plan," Ford said. "The minister is going to be coming out early next week and rolling out that plan."
Ford said he thinks students in Ontario need to get back to school and want to get back to school.
"The two million kids that are going back to school are going to be safe, as well as the teachers."
The government originally promised the plan would be released in July. Students in Ontario have not been allowed to attend in-person learning since April, when the third wave was spiralling out of control.
Ford said Wednesday the plan will include increased safety protocols for students and teachers, but did not say what they might be.
Ontario got its first hint on Tuesday at what restrictions could be in place this September for unvaccinated students.
The province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters the COVID-19 outbreak management plan for the new school year applies separate sets of rules based on vaccination status.
Fully immunized students and staff would face minimal interruption from work or school if they come in contact with a "high-risk" carrier of the virus and test negative for COVID-19, Moore said.
Unvaccinated students and staff, Moore added, would immediately have to isolate for a minimum of 10 days and require at least two negative COVID-19 tests, seven days apart, before returning to school.
"If that test on day seven is positive, you're off for another 10 days," Moore cautioned. "That is a potential of 20 days from schools directly because you weren’t immunized and because you’re infectious to others and putting others at risk."
The warning comes as the province struggles to convince more then 300,000 eligible Ontario students to get their initial vaccine, despite accelerating the timeline between doses to 28 days after the first shot.
In order to be fully immunized before the start of the school year, families will have to pay close attention to the calendar.
For example, a student who received partial immunity on July 28, will be eligible for a second dose on Aug. 23, giving them the complete benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine just days before schools reopen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.