By Staff
April 13th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The New Demorats came out swinging today – they too want to ensure that teachers are vaccinated before they return to school – whenever that is.
Clearly the teacher vote is up for grabs – the Liberals want to do the same thing.
And, if students are mini virus spreaders taking what they have at home to school and they taking what they pick up at school it would make sense to vaccinate the teachers.
Let’s put some data behind those assumptions – and if the science is there – for heavens sake vaccinate them. There won’t be a better time to get the job done,
“Vaccinating teachers now is a critical step if Ontario hopes to keep child care centres open, and to re-open schools safely said Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath
Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath
Horwath’s call comes after Doug Ford ordered schools closed indefinitely, and families and early childhood educators express fears that child care could be shut down next.
The Leader of the Opposition continues: “Child care workers are frontline heroes. They have been looking after little ones — especially the children of essential workers — during the shutdown of schools, and they are worried about their safety as the third wave worsens. And we know teachers and education workers are anxious to get their vaccines before returning to classrooms,” said Horwath. “Meanwhile, students and parents are bracing for another round of school closures with no end in sight. An action plan would give everyone hope for a safe return to daily life.
Andrea Horwath: If called upon – could she form a government?
“Doug Ford marched us right back into another classroom shutdown because he didn’t want to spend the money on education,” said Horwath. “I believe our children’s safety is worth the investment. If I were premier, I’d be vaccinating teachers, education and child care workers now, and I’d be making urgent investments in a safe return to schools.”
Despite several regions shutting down all schools prior to this week, there were 12,280 school-based COVID-19 infections in the last 14 days, plus 913 cases in child care centres.
As every Teacher, EA, Support Staff, Education Worker Knows from their many Post Secondary years of Education & Training, the Role of schools is to provide “The Skills, the Knowledge, the Attitudes for all children, no matter their Abilities, to lead Happy and Productive lives”. As well as the mental social benefits of In school instruction, it is Essential to Educate the future Scientists, Engineers, Plumbers, Carpenters, Auto repair, Chefs, etc. etc. No “On-line video” will achieve these results, nor will it meet the needs of all. Children are the Future of this Province. And yes Every student, every parent, every worker of this “Essential” service has the right to expect a Safe School for their hours of in School instruction. After 40 years in Education at all Levels, my Vote will be for a Premier who appoints an Educator to HIs /Her Cabinet who has ” Walked a Mile” in PUBLIC EDUCATION. This not Political- It is Essential
The teacher vote is up for grabs???? Really, with hard-core NDP activists like Harvey Bischof (a classic champagne socialist), head of OSSTF leading the charge on behalf of his buddy, Andrea, it should be a foregone conclusion which way most teachers will lean. Keep this in mind–virtually every criticism that the teachers’ union bosses have delivered against Ford during the pandemic have little to do with education and everything to do with politics.
I guess you don’t have any teachers in your bubble. Yes, teachers are well paid, many quite well, some not up to par. Like any other profession, such as politicians. Modern Conservatives always target service professions as a way to further their ongoing project to transfer wealth and power to their supporters … the cognitive dissonance of dealing with the current crisis must be overwhelming.