B.C.'s largest school district won't mandate COVID-19 vaccines for staff
The elected board for the largest school district in B.C. has decided it will not mandate COVID-19 vaccines for teachers and support staff.
Surrey school board vice-chair Terry Allen said trustees were told by Fraser Health that because of the region’s high vaccination rate, the mandate isn’t necessary.
“We followed health direction all along as far as K-12 for masks and so on, and we follow health now. And if health doesn’t believe it’s a necessary requirement, then that really is the basis of our decision,” said Allen.
Surrey’s parent advisory council wanted the mandate, and is disappointed the school board won’t act.
“We were hoping this decision went the other way,” said Surrey DPAC member Rani Senghera. “We were also I think hoping that this decision came from the ministry instead of letting school boards decide.”
Surrey Teachers Association president Matt Westphal said teachers would have supported the mandate.
“We are not surprised that the school district has decided not to order a vaccine mandate, and this is precisely the problem with how the Ministry of Education has passed the buck onto school districts,” said Westphal.
Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said any province-wide school vaccine mandate would have to come from Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“Absent a public health order in this regard, boards of education, as employers of employees who work in our school system, make the decisions about what to do with respect to policies for their workforce,” said Whiteside.
Surrey's school board decided a mandate could do more harm than good.
“If we had five per cent of our staff not vaccinated and the mandate was in place, that would be 600 staff that wouldn’t be available for the Surrey school system. So the impact on the classroom would be huge,” said Allen.
Senghera said while she knows there could be a staffing crunch, she also believes "children’s safety should come first at this point, especially when we are all doing our part to keep them safe.”
New Westminster’s school board has also decided against a vaccine mandate for teachers and support staff. The president of Vancouver’s district parent advisory council Gord Lau said it’s a worrying trend.
“The reason we are seeing these decisions made by districts is because the province has abdicated their responsibility to make that mandate and provide resources to other districts to support that mandate,” said Lau, who hopes Vancouver’s board bucks the trend and requires vaccination at school.
It’s expected other B.C. school districts will announce their decisions on school vaccine mandates in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.