Toronto District School Board will host fewer than half the number of polling stations this election
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is hosting fewer than half the number of polling stations for the federal election on Sept. 20, compared to the 2019 federal election, a spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Toronto.
The TDSB is supplying approximately 120 polling stations this election, said Ryan Bird, the school board’s spokesperson. By comparison, last election they hosted 308 polling stations.
"There were some [locations] that were declined as they didn’t meet the requirements set out by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health," Bird said.
An Elections Canada spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Toronto that fewer schools would be used as polling stations this election.
“Where we will be using schools, they were all carefully chosen to be able to follow COVID-19 protocols. We worked with the Ontario Ministry of Education to follow their criteria for whether a school was suitable for a polling place,” Nathalie de Montigny, an Elections Canada media relations representative, said.
She said the schools chosen must have “a direct path to polling stations, separate entrances and exits and [Election Canada’s] own COVID protocols.”
In addition, de Montigny said many locations used in the past were not available because of the pandemic. This year, Elections Canada is seeking bigger polling locations that offer physical distancing options.
“Some schools were not available and some schools might not have offered the physical distancing required,” she said.
However, Elections Canada said it would not be possible to provide a list of schools that will be hosting polling stations this year because they “do not differentiate,” whether a site is at a school, hotel, community centre, or any other location.
The cutback in TDSB polling stations aligns with an overall drop in locations to vote in the Toronto area this year. In the GTA, eight ridings will have half the number of polling sites this election. Elections Canada said on Friday that the reason for fewer polling stations is partly due to an effort to find larger locations to allow for physical distancing.
The TDSB’s reduced polling sites follows the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s (TCDSB) decision not to supply the around 100 locations that were being considered this election.
“When we have thousands of people coming in and out of the building. Some are vaccinated. Some are not. Who knows,” TCDSB Chair Joseph Martino told CTV News Toronto on Sept. 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.