'These aren't risks I am willing to take': London and area schools will not reopen before the end of year
It's official, schools in Middlesex-London and the rest of the province will not be reopening for the remainder of the school year.
"I understand this is going to be difficult for many parents," said Premier Doug Ford during his announcement Wednesday.
The move does not come as a surprise after it was leaked Tuesday that the decision was made at the committee level to leave schools closed.
Ford said that modelling suggested that reopening schools may lead to thousands of new cases, despite calls from medical professionals including Ontario's top doctor to reopen classrooms.
"As your premier, these aren't risks I am willing to take," said Ford.
Ford made the announcement at 1 p.m. with Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliot.
"Our cautious approach will protect our reopening," said Lecce.
In response to the announcement Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca pointed out that Ford was ignoring the advice of his top doctor and other medical professionals.
"Doug Ford is putting patios before publicly funded schools," wrote Del Duca in a statement. "The experts have been clear - the government should be allowing each Public Health Unit and the local Chief Medical Officers of Health to make the decision whether or not to reopen schools for their own regions."
On Tuesday, CTV News Toronto reported that at committee level the decision was made to not reopen schools, even on a regional basis.
Both major boards in London had said they were ready to open when and if the province gives the go ahead, but now that won't be necessary.
In a statement, Thames Valley District School Board Director of Education Mark Fisher said, “We know that students thrive when they are learning in person at school and we look forward to welcoming all students back to our schools in September."
The board says more information about retrieving belongings from schools, returning board property and year-end recognitions will be shared as soon as it is available.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams and the Ontario Science Advisory Table advised the government to reopen in-person learning.
Locally London’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie has long maintained the position that schools should be last to close and first to open.
However, Ontario’s reopening plan isn’t expected to begin until June 14 at the earliest, despite a stay-at-home order expiring Wednesday.
All of Ontario’s schools have been closed since mid-April.
Ford called on schools to host outdoor graduation ceremonies where possible in order for some students to see friends before the end of the year.
It remains unclear if that will happen at the local boards.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.