Ontario’s Ford Government Restricts Gatherings While Allowing Huge Class Sizes – All While Daily COVID-19 Counts in Province Spike Above 400
News from Ontario’s Official Opposition NDP Government
Posted September 18th, 2020 on Niagara At Large
Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Andrea Horwath ihomes
QUEEN’S PARK — Amid rising COVID-19 numbers and 62 schools with cases of the virus, the NDP MPPs have voted in favour of capping class sizes at 15, and Ford’s Conservatives blocked that from happening by voting no on a motion by NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
“Doug Ford announced (this September 17th) that it’s no longer safe to have more than 10 people gather indoors, yet he’s still forcing classrooms to be jammed full, with 25 or 30 kids, and school busses to be packed with up to 70 kids,” said Horwath.
“Parents, education workers, teachers and students themselves are filled with anxiety. They’re wondering if their school is next. They’re wondering if their family is next.”
A flood of experts have recommended small class sizes and physical distancing at school, including a report by SickKids which calls for classes to be capped at no more than 15 students. Ontario’s classes, however, are exceptionally large, especially since Doug Ford spent a year cutting teaching and education worker positions and hiking class sizes before the pandemic struck.
“This is about protecting our children, and protecting their families,” said Horwath. “And this is about protecting our progress in the fight against COVID-19 – stopping the backslide we’re seeing now, with hundreds of new infections per day.
“If I were premier today, there would be no priority more important than investing in the health and safety of children.”
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.
Forgive my naivete but, teachers have had no problem forming picket lines before so I am wondering what is stopping them now?
And parents, if they were so afraid for their children’s safety then why are they sending them to school on packed buses or otherwise?
For months parents found a way to navigate childcare while the schools were closed. What changed? We have one guy, the Premier of Ontario, telling hundreds of thousands of school employees and parents what to do and you automatically do it??
Oh, and I remind you, this is the same Premier who keeps Queen’s Park closed and has not rallied to open our City Halls or Regional Councils. I’m sorry but, if those dictating policy won’t open their doors citizens really ought to be questioning why the same safety protocols and restrictions are not also applied to them.
For your sake and the sake of the children, just say no.
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