B.C. teachers 'would not oppose mandatory vaccinations,' union says
The head of the BC Teachers' Federation said the union would not be opposed to making vaccination mandatory for its members.
Teri Mooring made the comments following an announcement from the province Tuesday morning regarding the COVID-19 safety strategy for this school year, which will include a return to mandatory masks for Grade 4 to 12.
"We do need to protect our members right to privacy, and in those situations where our teachers have exemptions, we would need to make sure that they're accomodated," Mooring said, and added the federation believes there's a high vaccination rate among teachers already, though they don't have a specific percentage they can provide.
"We are, however, concerned about the low rate of vaccinations amongst 12 to 17-year-olds, especially those who are fully vaccinated."
Mooring said she was hoping to hear more from the government about school-based vaccination clinics for now, and in September.
"I think the trend that we've seen, and certainly the data reflects this, is that in those parts of the province with low vaccination rates, we're also seeing low vaccination rates amongst 12 to 17-year-olds," she said. "I think first, we need to set up in-school clinics. We need to make sure students are educated about the importance of vaccinations and we need to give them the opportunity."
Mooring said the return to the previous year's mask policy, without a requirement for kindergarten to Grade 3, "is going to make little sense to people."
"We think we're in a very different situation this year with the Delta variant and the majority of our students are not eligible for vaccinations," she said. "I'm right now asking all families to send their children, their young children to school with masks and encourage them to wear masks."
Mooring said while it's positive to hear work is being done on improving ventilation at schools all over the province, she had hoped more details would be provided.
In terms of COVID-19 exposure notifications this school year, Mooring said they want to see "meaningful, timely, and transparent" data.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.