Ontario schools to reopen for in-person learning on Jan. 17
Ontario schools will reopen for in-person learning on Jan. 17, a spokesperson for the Doug Ford government confirmed to CP24 Monday.
Schools in the province were first set to return on Jan. 3, but the government initially delayed the return to classrooms to Jan. 5, claiming the two extra days would give schools time to provide N95 masks to staff and to deploy 3,000 more HEPA filter units.
Last week, the government announced that it would instead have kids learn remotely until at least Jan. 17.
The decision to close schools was made amid surging COVID-19 cases fuelled by the Omicron variant, which has seen hospitals faced with higher than usual patient volumes and staff shortages.
“These two weeks will provide much-needed time for more vaccines and boosters,” Ford said at the time.
“It’s more time for additional public health measures to blunt the rapid rise in cases. I know online learning isn’t ideal, but above all else, I want to provide students and parents with certainty, not the turmoil of school closures because not enough staff are available to teach our kids.”
On Tuesday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce issued a statement in response to the reopening announcement, claiming that the government is doing “as much as [it] can to improve ventilation, provide high-quality PPE and expand access to vaccinations.”
“We have now shipped 9.1 million non-fitted N95 masks for staff and over four million three-ply masks for students and will regularly send new shipments over the coming weeks and months, with masking being mandatory within Ontario schools,” he said.
Lecce also said the province has accelerated access to booster shots for education and child care staff, deployed an additional 3,000 standalone HEPA filter units to schools and made symptomatic elementary and secondary students and education staff eligible for take-home PCR testing.
“Recognizing the challenges posed by the Omicron, these measures will help stabilize the school workforce as we continue to do everything we can to keep kids learning,” he said.
On Monday, Lecce also announced that retired Ontario educators would be allowed to work more days this school year to address staff shortages.
"We need staff in order to continue providing live teacher-led remote learning and safely operate our schools when students return to in-person learning," Lecce's statement read.
"That is why we have now secured an agreement with the Ontario Teachers' Federation that will deliver access to thousands of teacher-qualified educators that will help keep schools open and safe."
Later on Monday, Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) passed a motion saying they are in support of calls from pediatric experts and parents to resume in-person classes.
The motion was moved by Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, seconded by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and passed unanimously.
On Dec. 31, the Ontario government outlined in a memo that it would no longer be collecting COVID-19 case data from schools and child-care settings, citing new testing guidelines.
"Given recent changes to case and contact management by the Ministry of Health and OCMOH (Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health), the ministry will suspend reporting of COVID-19 cases in schools," the memo obtained by CP24 read.
While case counts will no longer be posted, the ministry said it will continue to report school and child-care closures due to COVID-19.
According to the most recent provincial data, 46.7 per cent of children aged five to 11 have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 3.5 per cent have received two doses and are considered to be fully vaccinated.
Just over 86 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 have had one dose of a vaccine, while 82.6 per cent have received two.
The province reported Monday that there are now at least 2,467 patients with COVID-19 in Ontario hospitals, with 438 in intensive care.
With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar and The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.