Ontario university will not allow unvaccinated students who normally learn in-person to take online courses
An Ontario university says it will not allow students who normally learn in-person to take part in online courses this fall if they have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to Wilfrid Laurier University’s latest COVID-19 vaccination policy, students are required to disclose their vaccination status by Oct. 8. Those who refuse to do so, as well as students who do not get both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, could face the following consequences:
• Being unable to attend Laurier’s campuses or locations
• Having access to MyLearningSpace suspended for fall term courses
• De-registration from fall in-person courses
• Being unable to take part in winter-term courses, since all students are expected to be on campus for winter term 2022
Students who do not plan on getting the vaccine should contact their academic advisors, the university says.
Laurier added it is using the fall semester as a “transition term,” and that students taking online courses at that time will still be required to be fully vaccinated before in-person learning returns in the winter.
There is an exception for students enrolled in fully online degree programs, who are not required to attend campus at any time and do not plan to visit campus for any other reason. Those students do not have to upload their vaccination status.
When asked for a statement, a spokesperson said the university is following the directive of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health in creating a vaccination policy for the institution.
No further explanation was provided for why students learning remotely would have to be fully vaccinated.
“In consultation with public health experts, we believe that vaccines are critical to the health of our campus community,” a spokesperson for the university said in a statement. “In addition to vaccines, other public health and university health and safety measures such as masking and adhering to gathering limits, will go a long way to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 with will allow us to move forward as a community.”
The University of Toronto, Ontario’s largest postsecondary facility with three separate campuses across the GTA, is simply asking that students who attend campus in-person be fully vaccinated. There is no mention of online courses being impacted by the policy.
York University, which has the second largest student population in the province, has a similar policy. After Oct. 19, anyone who is not fully vaccinated with two doses will not be allowed on campus. Those students are being urged to get the shot or seek online alternatives.
A spokesperson for the Minister of Colleges and Universities said that while their government directed high-risk settings to implement COVID-19 vaccination policies, colleges and universities are “autonomous legal entities fully responsible for both academic and administrative matters.”
“They are responsible for their own compliance and implementation of public health measures.”
A letter sent by the council of Ontario medical officers to university presidents outlines on Aug. 24 outlines the requirements that must be met in a vaccination policy. It calls for full vaccination of all individuals on campus, with the “rare exception of those individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to permitted exemptions.”
Those with an exemption or a first dose—who are awaiting a second—must adhere to rapid testing.
There is no mention of mandatory vaccinations for those who are not stepping on campus.
A petition was launched on Thursday calling on the university to cancel its mandatory vaccination policy, arguing that the establishment has taken the rights of students to choose their education.
“They made this announcement less than two weeks before requiring online students to be vaccinated, and right after the deadline to receive a majority of tuition back for the semester,” the petition says. “They are offering no alternative to getting the vaccine.”
The petition has just over 200 signatures.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.