Filtering the plan
Premier Doug Ford signalled that another school re-opening announcement is around the corner as opposition politicians and teachers reiterated their significant concerns.
At his daily press conference, the premier indicated that there will soon be an announcement related to schools. "The minister of education will be coming out in the next very short while for an announcement," the premier said when asked about calls to improve ventilation in schools.
While the premier was reluctant to scoop his education minister, he gave a hint at what the announcement might look like. "No, there's not going to be any changes," he said of varying the back-to-school plan that the government released, and which more recently PCs have taken to calling a "living document." He continued, saying, "We are always looking at improvements, and just [the] quality of the room[s] that the kids go into."
Given that the coronavirus spreads most effectively indoors, proper ventilation and air filtration is seen by health authorities and experts as a way to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. That could mean upgrading HVAC filters or installing air cleaners as potential options.
The premier insisted he is casting a wide net to listen to back-to-school advice. "We are listening, we're listening to everyone — from the health experts to the teachers’ unions, to the frontline teachers when I'm out there listening to them."
The tip of the hand from the premier followed another day of significant concerns as opposition MPPs and stakeholders expressed anxiety about the back-to-school plan. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath used a morning announcement to flag ventilation in schools as an issue that needs attention. "Poor air circulation makes it even more dangerous to put kids in large, crowded classrooms — but suggesting that parents can keep their kids at home for any longer simply isn’t an option for many," she said from a school in Peterborough.
She was accompanied by teacher Lisa Noble, who shared her concerns. "How is it possible to safely distance 30 adolescent bodies in a poorly ventilated, concrete rectangle, while still providing a meaningful learning experience for the students in that space?" she wondered. "Moving to recommended smaller cohorts would not only allow teachers and students to be safer, but would allow teachers to better support the individual academic needs of their students, as well as their mental and emotional health."
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who has advocated for the school year to be pushed back if a sufficient reopening plan hasn't been determined, did not mention ventilation in particular but stated that the government needs to invest more in general. "It has become clear that Doug Ford is unwilling to invest what’s needed. His plan would invest less than one dollar a day per child in public education. He’s treating our kids like an afterthought.”
He added a call for collaboration on top of additional investment, "Yesterday, British Columbia pushed back school reopenings. Doug Ford must stop being stubborn, and immediately convene an all-party Education Command Table, composed of experts and opposition members, and consider all options, including a delay to the start of school."
Green Leader Mike Schreiner also shared his concerns, based on outreach he did with parents, in a letter to the premier. He laid out 11 subjects for back-to-school related questions, including why the government wasn't doing more to make cohorts smaller, and whether grandparents would be safe to see their grandkids. "Parents and children need a transparent and well funded back to school plan. Time is quickly running out. Please listen to Ontario’s parents, teachers and education staff, learn and make a change for the better."
While the premier acknowledged widespread concerns about going back to school during his daily presser, he also pointed a finger of blame at teacher unions and accused them of not working with the government. "I want to work with the teachers’ union, I think the world of the teachers, but just to constantly, you know, go out there and they're fighting, we can't get things done," he said, calling for "cooperation."
This line of attack came after the Toronto Star reported that teacher unions are considering suing the government over class sizes during the pandemic, citing health and safety concerns in the workplace.
There was also a demonstration on the Queen's Park lawn this morning, where some teachers and parents objected to the government's proposed plan to go back to school.
At Queen's Park demanding @fordnation fund & plan an equitable #SafeSeptember NOW!
Thanks to the organizers @parentaction4ed for bringing us together and building a lifesize model of #FordsCOVIDclassroom to highlight how recklessly dangerous the #SafeSeptemberON "plan" is. pic.twitter.com/Y2Sqs64BSy
— Rachel Small (@rach_small) August 12, 2020
To date, almost 220,000 people have signed an online petition calling on the Ontario government to reduce class sizes during the pandemic.
Yesterday QP Briefing reported that health experts recommend that supply and occasional teachers are limited in how many schools they can go to, citing the experience with personal support workers in long-term care homes. Unions are open to the idea, but would like to see income security for their members.
Oh-bee-see-em
Ontario's big-city mayors held their annual meeting, where the pandemic response was the focus of the discussion, but don't call them LUMCO.
What was formerly known as the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario has changed its name to Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM). The group of 16 heads of council represents about 75 per cent of Ontario's population of 14 million.
Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen and provincial Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod also attended the meeting.
The mayors thanked other orders of government for the $4 billion allocated to Ontario municipalities under the Safe Restart Agreement. "I want to thank the prime minister and premier for responding to municipalities’ call for emergency relief during this unprecedented time,” stated Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie. “We look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with them to support medium and long term economic recovery. There can be no recovery without cities.”
Windsor in stage three
At long last, all of Ontario is in stage three.
The Windsor-Essex region joined the rest of the province this morning in stage three, meaning they too can spend some indoor time at pubs and restaurants or unleash their kids on local playgrounds.
Windsor-Essex has struggled with the coronavirus, with the prime concern being outbreaks among agricultural workers. Testing those workers has proved difficult, with the premier repeatedly urging people to get tested, although declining to make it mandatory.
The province saw another day with fewer than 100 new cases. According to the latest numbers, Ontario saw 95 new cases, which is up from the 54 reported yesterday.
Today, Ontario is reporting 95 cases of #COVID19, a 0.2% increase and another day below 100 cases. Locally, 28 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases. Yesterday, the province processed over 24,500 tests.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) August 12, 2020
With files from Sneh Duggal
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