Fanshawe faculty union files grievance to bring masks back indoors
The union representing Fanshawe College faculty has filed a grievance with the school over its masking policy.
"Fanshawe's abandonment of indoor masking, social distancing, and many other preventative measures has created an unsafe work environment," says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 110 in a media release.
The union did not make a representative available for an interview, but according to the release, it has heard from numerous members concerned for their own health and safety, as well as their family members.
It is Fanshawe's first full school year without COVID-19 measures since the pandemic began, which is in line with most other post-secondary schools in the province. However, Western University has maintained its mandatory masking policy, as well as requiring at least one COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
"It doesn't make a difference to me, honestly," says Miquel Balles, a Fanshawe student. "It's a personal choice at the end of the day."
"A year or two ago I would have been masked," says student Sam Munday. "I think everyone has gotten it, I've gotten it. I tried to avoid it for a long time and now I'm not as worried as I was.
Fanshawe did not make a representative available for an interview either, but says in a statement the school is "following all provincial guidelines related to health and safety on campus."
The college has not reinstated mandatory masking or vaccine requirements "based on ongoing and regular discussions with local public health authorities."
Fanshawe says it is scheduling a hearing with the union shortly to discuss the grievance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
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.