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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.