Calgary board angry with UCP government over COVID-19 in schools



Michael Franklin
CTVNewsCalgary.ca Senior Digital Producer
Updated Sept. 17, 2021 


CALGARY -

In a letter written to Alberta's education and health ministers, one Calgary school board says it is "frustrated" by the lack of direction being given to them amid the rising cases of COVID-19's fourth wave.

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) says it is struggling with hundreds of positive cases, which have all been self-reported by students and parents at its schools ever since it commenced with its optimistic plan for in-person learning back in August.

According to its latest information, there are approximately 350 self-reported cases linked to more than 120 CBE schools, with the majority of those being elementary institutions.

Now, in a letter released by the Alberta NDP, they say the government has failed them.

"We are frustrated by the lack of coherent provincial guidance being provided to our families and students," says the letter, authored by CBE chair Marilyn Dennis.

"Families have received mixed messages about the real and substantial risk that COVID-19 presents to our communities and school jurisdictions are left to fill the public health gap left by the government."

Earlier this year, the government announced it would not be conducting any contact tracing or notification in schools when positive cases are found and Dennis contends that was a bad move.

"Families have been clear that they want more. We understand that Alberta Health Services (AHS) has information of confirmed student COVID-19 cases and the schools linked to cases. This information, including dates of possible exposure, should be shared with school authorities."

Dennis adds the situation has impacted learning in schools and the confidence that parents have in knowing their decision to send their children to attend in-person classes is a safe one.

"We expect continued challenges with overall absentee rates for both staff and students exacerbating the learning disruptions already experienced last year," she said. "Many schools are quickly approaching a rate of absence greater than 10 per cent due to illness. In the absence of communication from AHS, the CBE currently has no knowledge of the actual number of positive COVID-19 cases within our schools."

As a result, Dennis says the contact tracing program, led by AHS and the provincial government, should be reinstated, families should have access to testing and a strategy should be built for vaccinating children 12 years old as soon as it becomes available.

"We are committed to ensuring our schools are as safe as possible so our students can continue in-person learning," Dennis wrote. "Supporting the health and well-being of Alberta students is a priority we share."

'FAMILIES HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO CHAOS'

The Alberta NDP, which released the letter to the media, says it supports the CBE's call for a return of contact tracing measures to ensure all positive COVID-19 cases are adequately tracked.

It also says schools need the support they need from the provincial government to combat the fourth wave.

"Schools need access to rapid test kits, and to have on-site vaccination clinics," said Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley in a statement. "I support calls for mandatory vaccination in the education sector. Teachers are now in their third pandemic school year, and I thank them for their courage, professionalism, and commitment to students.

"All students and families have been thrown into chaos by school closures at least three times across Alberta, and for some, many more times. We must do everything we can to avoid repeating the same mistakes this year."


Notley says the work to protect students should have been completed well before classes resumed in September.

"I hear the anger and frustration with this UCP government’s failure to lead. All of this work should have been done weeks earlier. Only a month ago, Minister LaGrange promised parents a 'normal school year.' Now we are in a province-wide public health emergency."

SCHOOLS HAVE ACCESS TO TESTING, VACCINES

Alberta Education responded to the statement made by the Opposition Friday evening, saying that educators already have rapid testing available to them and a vaccination program for students aged 12 and older is already underway.

"School boards that are interested in running their own program can request test kits from Alberta Health," said Nicole Sparrow, press secretary for Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. "School authorities interested in setting up a rapid testing program in a school can contact Alberta Education staff, who are available to answer questions and offer operational guidance."

Sparrow said students, parents, staff and teachers are strongly encouraged to practice all of the health guidelines, complete their dailly health checklists before heading to class and always isolate if any symptoms are found.

"As Alberta’s School Re-Entry Plan states, we remain in contact with AHS Zone Medical Officers of Health as well as AHS Environmental Public Health Teams, who continue to work with school divisions, like the Calgary Board of Education to address any local issues."

The statement did not address the CBE's concern over a lack of contact tracing.

• 
  
  

Virtual schools face rocky start — with delays, confusion and technical problems

'We're flying the plane as we build it,' says Regina school official

WE HAVE ONLY HAD COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET IN SCHOOLS SINCE THE NINETIES

Jessica Wong · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2020 

Getting virtual schools off the ground this fall has proven to be a significant challenge across provinces, with parents feeling left in the dark, enrolment lists in flux, technical issues and teachers still being hired or reassigned as classes get underway. (Shutterstock)


Some Canadian parents might have looked longingly at neighbouring provinces getting the option of distance learning this school year, but getting virtual schools off the ground has proven to be a tricky undertaking.

With many parents feeling left in the dark, postponements, enrolment lists in flux, technical hiccups and teachers still being hired or reassigned as classes begin, heading back to school online this fall has gotten off to a bumpy start during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of 'I don't know' and 'We'll figure it out as we go.' I'm a planner, so that kind of stuff makes me very anxious," said Ashley St John, a Toronto mother of a blended family of five children between two months and 12 years old.

Because St John is currently on maternity leave, she said she feels lucky to be able to choose online learning for her school-aged children — a decision made because two members of her multigenerational household are immunocompromised.

But school-related emails being sent to an outdated address and no followup phone calls forced her to rush around to confirm that her kids had indeed been enrolled in virtual school this fall.

"I have zero faith that they're organized.... The feeling I get is that they don't have a plan, they're not prepared," she said.

WATCH | Parent reacts to Toronto school board's latest postponement:


Watch

Toronto District School Board (TDSB) delays on-line learning again
21 hours ago
Ashley St John speaks to Dianne Buckner about the postponement and what this means for her blended family. 6:58

Parents in Calgary are also decrying a lack of key information and details about the Calgary Board of Education's Hub online learning program, which was slated to begin as early as Monday.

"We just don't have any information as to what time we need to be home and in front of our computers to be able to let the kids connect with their teachers," said Tamara Rose, who is working from home full time because of multiple autoimmune diseases.

Rose said she feels frustrated: She wants to be able to schedule her video meetings for work apart from the time her daughter, Scarlett — who had expected to start Grade 2 virtually this past Monday morning — will need the computer for school. She also needs to juggle the times her seven-year-old will join her grandfather outdoors for some physical activity, like hiking.

"We're kind of all just in the dark right now," she said.

Tamara Rose, with her seven-year-old daughter, Scarlett, is among the Calgary parents who are waiting to receive details about their children's online learning classrooms. 'We're kind of all just in the dark right now," she says. (Submitted by Tamara Rose)

Though some parents have received emails identifying their children's Hub teachers, what school supplies will be needed and details of their kids' virtual school day, others — like Rose — are still waiting.

"Some moms are sitting there hitting refresh [on their email] all day," she said.
'A monumental task'

Creating virtual classes for so many students — and then staffing and supporting them accordingly — has been "a monumental task," Toronto District School Board chair Alexander Brown said Tuesday morning, a day after Canada's largest school district announced it was once again delaying the start of its virtual option.

The TDSB has begun a staggered entry for in-class learning this week, but its virtual school will now start on Sept. 22, with the latest postponement due to a large influx of families — about 72,000 students from the board's roughly 250,000 total enrolment — opting for online learning.

The 72,000 students in the Toronto District School Board's virtual school this fall represent an enrolment bigger than most school boards in Ontario, says Carlene Jackson, the board's interim director of education. Tuesday was the deadline for parents to enrol their children in virtual school. (CBC)

"That's bigger than most school boards in Ontario. We've seen increases of over 6,000 in just the last couple of days, and we are expecting that to grow," said Carlene Jackson, the board's interim director of education.

"We did decide to allow parents to have choice and flexibility in terms of whether or not they wanted to send their children in person or do online learning," she said, clarifying that Tuesday was the deadline for virtual school.

"We do need the additional time to get the additional teachers in place and to develop those timetables."

The Toronto public board isn't alone: School boards in Peel Region, Hamilton-Wentworth and Waterloo region were among the other Ontario districts that announced delays to the start of virtual learning in recent days due to a significant last-minute uptick in sign-ups, which has required reassigning or hiring many more teachers.

Excitement, delays, cancellations and questions on 1st day of school in Hamilton during COVID-19
Local school boards hiring 165 teachers to help with online learning

"It's a buyer's market right now for teachers. They're needed all over the place.... There's a huge teacher shortage right now," said Patrick Etmanski, head of the Waterloo unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association.

"They've delayed the online stuff because they can't find people to do the work."
E-learning can overload internet

Getting the Calgary Board of Education's massive virtual effort ready has taken a Herculean effort over the past weeks — from finalizing the student registrations to reallocating existing teachers and hiring new ones, said Joanne Pitman, the board's superintendent of school improvement.

She said that earlier communication from the board — which included a link to some independent assignments to familiarize students with online learning — had indicated that real-time instruction would begin sometime this week.

'There is nothing going on with Hub': CBE parents, students still waiting to start online classes

"We're actually, in under two weeks, reassigning and building in over 700 teachers to be able to support the just under 20,000 students who have registered for Hub," Pitman said.

Anticipating the complexity of a brand-new virtual offering was why Regina Public Schools chose to start its e-school program the week after beginning a staggered in-class return, said Terry Lazarou, the board's supervisor of communications.

"We have to build infrastructure. We have to get it staffed. We have to do all of the stuff necessary to have that work successfully," he said Tuesday. This initial week would be "very much a 'getting to know you'" experience for elementary students, but "actual learning" for high-schoolers, he said.

On the first day of the e-school program at Regina Public Schools on Monday, a server exceeded capacity and prevented anyone from logging in for about 20 minutes before being quickly resolved, spokesperson Terry Lazarou says. 'The internet is a lovely thing, but it's not magical.' (Kirk Fraser/CBC)

"There were obviously hiccups," Lazarou said about Monday's inaugural day of e-school, which has about 2,000 students enrolled. A server exceeded capacity and prevented anyone from logging in for about 20 minutes before being quickly resolved, he said.

"We're very reliant on infrastructure that everyone else in the province is also using. The internet is a lovely thing, but it's not magical. When volume goes up or when other things happen, it's susceptible to overuse sometimes."

First day of secondary school marred by confusion, technical difficulties and students sharing obscene content
Hamilton's Catholic school board delays start of virtual school due to power outage

Moving forward, Regina Public Schools is focused on improving its offering, Lazarou said. Key will be ensuring that technological systems stay "robust enough to be able to handle the need" and that all families in e-school continue to have the equipment and internet access required to participate online. Officials are also making the necessary accommodations for students with intensive needs.

"There is a lot more work that needs to be done," Lazarou said. "We're flying the plane as we build it.... This is going well, but everything can go better. And we're working on ensuring that it does go better."

Thousands of Sask. students flocking to online learning during COVID-19

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce urged patience as "tens of thousands" of students get started virtually from kindergarten to Grade 12 this school year.

Referring to the fact that even without COVID-19, class numbers typically fluctuate somewhat before settling later in September, Lecce told a daily Ontario press briefing on Monday that there will indeed be consolidation — and perhaps reorganization — of classrooms in some regions this fall.

"While we're seeing the migration of tens of thousands [of students] ... it creates operational challenges for boards," he said. "It's not an excuse, but it's important context for families to understand."


With files from Deana Sumanac-Johnson, Lucie Edwardson, Jacqueline Hansen and Kate Bueckert.

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'This was a lifeline for kids': 

CBE lays off entire psychology department

Author of the article:Alanna Smith April 10,2020

The exterior of the Calgary Board of Education building was photographed 

on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. Gavin Young/Postmedia 

The Calgary Board of Education has laid off all of its psychologists despite pledging to maintain mental health supports for students during at-home learning.

A psychologist with the public school board said the decision will have an immediate impact on students and their families, especially considering they had already transitioned to virtual sessions amid the COVID-19 pandemic

“This was a lifeline for kids and families who were struggling. It allowed kids to continue working with the therapist they already had a relationship with and to maintain that important connection during this crisis,” said the psychologist, whom Postmedia has agreed not to identify for fear of job reprisal.

He said many of the kids who were receiving mental health counselling were struggling with anxiety, depression or family stress prior to the pandemic.

“Their mental health issues are only likely to get worse as routines are disrupted, (physical) distancing persists and when there’s an increase in uncertainty and stress. Kids need access to mental health services more than ever right now,” he said.

The temporary layoffs are a result of the province’s recently announced education budget rollback.

At the end of March, the United Conservative government said it was “temporarily redirecting” $128 million from school authority funding to the province’s COVID-19 response. It’s estimated the cut will impact as many as 20,000 jobs provincewide.

“To respond to the provincial government’s mandate to redirect dollars to support the COVID-19 response, the CBE’s funding was adjusted by $21 million,” said CBE in a statement. “We prioritized dollars towards keeping positions that have the closest (connection) to students and to supporting learning from home.”

The board maintained employment for 880 educational assistants, speech-language assistants, early childhood practitioners and other positions funded by the province.
“We have many other employees who provide mental health support to families,” said the CBE, referencing school family liaisons, behavioural support workers and mental health strategists among others. The board also said community partners will continue to be resource for students.

Psychologists employed by CBE, part-time and full-time, will be laid off effective May 21 due to a six-week notice period under their collective agreement. Until then, they will continue to provide services to students.

Rae-Anne Royal, chair for the CBE Staff Association representing support workers, said she was surprised to learn psychologists and speech-language pathologists were among the layoffs.

“These roles are probably more conducive than many to providing supports electronically and by telephone,” said Royal in a statement. “The enhanced stress and challenges all are experiencing in this current environment is equally true of students, so more, rather than less, supports are needed.”

Colin Aitchison, press secretary for the minister of education, said the decision to lay off psychologists was that of the CBE’s and theirs alone.

THEY HAVE SAID THIS FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS POST 1987 CRASH 

AS THEY IMPOSED AUSTERITY ON THIS PROVINCE UNDER THEIR OLD MONIKER OF RALPH KLEIN'S PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVES

WE CUT YOUR FUNDS BUT STAFF CUTS ARE NOT OUR FAULT
“Adjustments due to in-person class cancellations did not require the temporary layoffs of these staff members,” said Aitchison. “Regardless, we fully expect the CBE to rescind these layoffs when in-person classes resume.”

COVID-19: Student mental health should come before academics during crisis

Barb Silva, Support Our Students spokesperson, said the decision to lay off school psychologists is “incredibly disappointing” and further disadvantages certain students.

“I think we often fall back on the ill-conceived notion that children are resilient. The reality is children just experience or demonstrate trauma in different ways,” said Silva.

“We know that kids with strong relationships that feel engaged and heard and valued at school — whether that’s a bricks-and-mortar school or virtual school like now — do better at school, perform better, learn better.”

She said students already marginalized, due to food insecurity, developmental disabilities or socio-economic factors, will be further pushed to the peripheral.

Barb Silva, spokeswoman for Support Our Students advocacy group.

 JIM WELLS/Postmedia

“We are as strong as our most marginalized student,” said Silva. “In September, everything is going to be different and, at the end of the day, this push to further marginalize our children living in the margins will undermine public education. It is setting us up for failure.”

The CBE psychologist who spoke with Postmedia said students who had already built trusting relationships with a therapist might struggle to do again with someone new — that is, if they can afford or find a new service.

“For the many families who can’t afford fee-for-service psychological services, the removal of school mental health services may force them to try to access service through the already overburdened health care system,” he said.

“Students will continue to need mental health supports to help bridge the transition back to school and we anticipate that we are going to see a wave of mental health issues that is bigger than we’ve ever seen.”

The CBE said 59 psychologists were laid off among the 1,900 people who received temporary layoffs — the largest education layoff in CBE history.

Other positions included breakfast and lunch supervisors, cleaners, library assistants, career and technology instructors, speech-language pathologists and other administrative and support staff.

CBE to temporarily lay off 1,900 staff amid COVID-19 reductions; Catholic board cuts 950 jobs

Author of the article:Jason Herring

Publishing date: April 10, 2020

Calgary’s public and Catholic school districts have temporarily eliminated jobs after the Alberta government cut education funding last month while students are out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Calgary Board of Education handed temporary layoff notices to about 1,900 part- and full-time staff Thursday. The CBE says its 2019-20 budget took a $21-million hit, after the Alberta government’s announcement it would redirect about $128 million from school authority funding to the COVID-19 response.

 

“Approximately 1,030 of the 1,900 affected staff are part-time breakfast and lunch supervisors,” read a statement from Christopher Usih, the CBE chief superintendent of schools.

“The other staff members include part-time cleaners, library assistants, (career and technology studies) instructors, psychologists and speech-language pathologists as well as other administrative and support staff.”

The last day of work for most affected staff will be April 30. The CBE said staff affected by layoffs can apply for federal income assistance following the notice period.

As well, contract staff like substitute teachers are not receiving layoff notices but the CBE says that “there will be limited work” for those staff through the end of the school year.

The board said it cut administrative costs before resorting to layoffs. The CBE said it was able to save some money due to the cancellation of in-class lessons and redirected funds allocated to projects that have now stalled, which it says saved about 1,000 jobs.

School-based support staff integral to supporting remote learning were the employees the CBE prioritized keeping, they said. All 880 of the board’s education assistants will keep their jobs through the end of June.

Barb Silva, spokeswoman for the Support Our Students advocacy group, said she was pleased the CBE retained education assistants given their role in helping students and teachers transition to remote learning.

“I think the CBE has done a good job with what they were dealt,” Silva said.

“We can appreciate the way they went through this in trying to save as many educational assistants as possible. I think recognizing the value of those positions in this climate is really important.”

The Calgary Catholic School District also eliminated jobs, cutting 950 part- and full-time support staff positions, with school principals notifying affected staff earlier this week.

“The Calgary Catholic School District is a family and these temporary layoffs were extremely difficult,” read a statement from the district. “We look forward to welcoming our staff back when we return to our schools.”

The CCSD has said they will rehire all support staff laid off due to budget cuts.

Alberta grade schools have not conducted in-person classes since before March 16, when the province announced all classes were cancelled amid growing fear of community spread of COVID-19.

The province has said that cuts to education funding are meant to be temporary while classes remain online.

The cuts to funding came two weeks after Education Minister Adriana LaGrange indicated Alberta school authorities would receive their full funding for the 2019-20 year.

Silva said public school boards including the CBE need to fight to ensure their funding is sustained through the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the risk of a second or third wave of the virus coming in the fall.

“Public education is actually very susceptible right now to being undermined through this crisis,” she said. “We need the largest school board in this province to advocate.”

At the time of the budget cut, the ATA estimated around 6,000 substitute teachers and as many as 20,000 support staff in Alberta would be affected by the cuts.

The layoffs are the largest ever for the CBE.

“Each and every employee plays a valuable role in supporting our schools and students,” Usih said. “We know that those employees who received layoff notices will be missed by their colleagues, and especially by our students and families.”

The board said it would begin recalling staff once the province reinstates in-person teaching.

ALBERTA

Scrapped school mask mandates draw student walkouts, court challenge

The first day in months that Alberta students were not required to wear masks in class was marked with school walkouts and a failed court challenge, as the premier continued to downplay safety concerns.


© Provided by Calgary Herald

A group of students organized a walkout at Nelson Mandela High School due to the end of mask mandates in Calgary on Monday, February 14, 2022.

Jason Herring - 

Calgary Herald

Mask use is now optional in Alberta schools as of Monday, one of the first steps in the United Conservative government’s plan to ease nearly all COVID-19 restrictions by March 1.

In Calgary, about 50 students walked out of class at Nelson Mandela High School Monday afternoon in protest of the decision. A similar demonstration also took place at Central Memorial High School.

Navreet Sandhu said he took part in the walkout because he feels unsafe at school with masking rules removed and because students didn’t have a say in the mandate’s removal.

“I also think if we take our masks off now it’s going to affect all our summers, and we’ll be back in quarantine,” he said.

“I don’t want to get COVID too, because I have a little sister and my dad’s a truck driver … I don’t want to affect him from working.”

“The average student doesn’t feel safe not wearing a mask,” added William Devine, a Grade 11 student who helped organize the walkout.

Students who spoke with Postmedia said the majority of students were still wearing masks in the classroom Monday, but a small number had decided to forgo them.


© Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaA group of students organized a walkout at Nelson Mandela High School due to the end of mask mandates in Calgary on Monday, February 14, 2022.

Opposition to the province’s decision to axe the mandate ranged from the classroom to the courthouse, as an Edmonton judge dismissed an application for an emergency injunction which would have maintained in-school mask requirements until the issue could be argued in court.

Edmonton law firm Roberts O’Kelly Law filed for the emergency injunction late Sunday. Applicants included the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and a group of parents of children with disabilities, who argue their children will face discrimination with mandatory masking in schools rescinded.

The emergency application was dismissed Monday afternoon, with a further hearing for the injunction adjourned to a yet-unscheduled date.

Premier Jason Kenney celebrated the court decision on Twitter, calling the application “ridiculous,” saying it would “force kids to wear masks indefinitely.”

“Common sense is prevailing,” said Kenney, who has advocated strongly against mask mandates in schools, saying the restrictions have unfairly impacted school-aged children.



Roberts O’Kelly Law argued the decision to remove mask mandates was rushed and carried out without giving school boards adequate time to prepare. They raised concerns with a letter from Education Minister Adriana LaGrange last week which said individual school boards do not have the authority to introduce their own masking requirements.

“Removing universal masking in schools forces many children to choose between their education and their health — and in some cases, their life,” said Orlagh O’Kelly, co-counsel on the injunction, in a news release.

AFL president Gil McGowan, meanwhile, called the lifting of mask requirements for children “premature, reckless and irresponsible.”

Kenney took exception to the AFL’s involvement in the legal application, telling reporters in Calgary Monday those upset with the government should “go down to the AFL headquarters and protest, peacefully.”

In a statement to Postmedia, Lagrange said she was pleased the emergency application was dismissed, also criticizing the AFL.

“Today’s application for an injunction is yet another stunt from the NDP’s union friends at AFL to spark more fear on Alberta parents and kids,” she said. “They want to keep masks on children indefinitely — and we know that this is not in the best interest of students.”


© Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaA group of students organized a walkout at Nelson Mandela High School due to the end of mask mandates in Calgary on Monday, February 14, 2022.

The government’s move to scrap masking for children has drawn criticism from Alberta doctors. A Calgary Herald column authored by three members of the Alberta Medical Association Section of Pediatrics and cosigned by 11 other pediatricians said the decision puts children’s health at risk.

“Although COVID is often milder in children, it is not harmless,” the column read.

“We also need a commitment to other evidence-based mitigations such as masking in schools to reduce the transmission of COVID amongst children and their families. There is currently no evidence that masking in these situations negatively impacts children’s mental health or development.”

Elsewhere Monday, Alberta announced 35 new deaths from COVID-19 since last reporting data Friday. Those deaths include two men in their 30s who did not have pre-existing health conditions.

Hospital and intensive-care occupancy among COVID-19 patients declined slightly over the weekend. There are now 1,528 Albertans in hospital with the virus, down from 1,566, and 124 in ICU, down from 127.

The province also reported 2,647 new PCR-confirmed cases of the virus over the three-day period, with a test positivity rate of 25 per cent.

Daily case numbers provide an incomplete snapshot of COVID-19 prevalence in the community, however, due to restricted access to PCR testing over the course of the virus’s fifth wave.

— With files from Ashley Joannou

Parents, labour union seek injunction against Alberta's move to end mask mandates for students

Alberta's decision to eliminate mask mandates for school-aged children, which became effective today, is being challenged in court.

© Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press

Starting Monday, students are no longer required to mask up. An application for an emergency injunction, filed Sunday, asks that the public health order exempting students from wearing masks in school be rescinded pending a judicial review.

Wallis Snowdon - 
cbc.ca

Edmonton law firm Roberts O'Kelly Law filed an application Sunday for an emergency injunction to reinstate the mask mandate for students.

The applicants include the parents of five immunocompromised children and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) which represents about 170,000 unionized Alberta workers.

The application asks that the public health order exempting students from wearing masks in school be rescinded pending a judicial review of the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was reached.

Lawyers involved are in an Edmonton courtroom Monday, waiting to have the application heard.

"Removing universal masking in schools forces many children to choose between their education and their health and in some cases, their life," Sharon Roberts, a partner with Roberts O'Kelly Law, said in a statement.

The application argues that the sudden end of the masking mandate infringes on the charter rights of immunocompromised children.

It alleges that the order is a policy based on politics, not public health — and that the decision was made not by Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, but by government officials who don't have jurisdiction over public health restrictions.

As of Monday, students in Alberta schools are no longer required to wear masks. Children 12 and under don't have to wear masks in any setting.

The decision was announced by Premier Jason Kenney last week. Hinshaw outlined the change in a public health order later in the week.

The injunction application asks that the mask mandate remain in place in schools until at least March 1, or until the application can be reviewed by the court

On Twitter, Premier Jason Kenney characterized the application as a political manoeuvre that threatens the well-being of Alberta children.

 
'Let kids be kids'

"The [Alberta Federation of Labour] is in court today seeking an order to force all kids to wear masks in school," Kenney said on Twitter Monday morning.

"The AFL is a legal affiliate of the NDP. Children have carried an unfair share of the burden during COVID. It's time for the NDP and AFL to stop. Let kids be kids!"

The case alleges that the decision to end the mask mandate was political, swayed by the demands of protesters at the Coutts, Alta., border blockade.

Only the chief medical officer of health or another medical officer of health have the legislative authority to render a decision under the public health act, the application says.

But it alleges that Hinshaw did not make the decision to end the mask mandate.

"The decision was made by the premier, ministers and/or cabinet, and therefore without jurisdiction under the Public Health Act," the application says. "Further and/or in the alternative, the decision is unlawful as it was improperly based on the demands of an illegal blockade to the exclusion of most if not all public health evidence."

The application calls on the courts to order Hinshaw to make "a new decision, herself, and in accordance with her obligations under the Public Health Act."

The applicants challenge what they describe as Education Minister Adriana LaGrange's strict "prohibition" against schools enforcing their own mask mandates.

Within hours of Tuesday's announcement about the pending end of masking for students, LaGrange issued a statement informing school boards they don't have the authority to enforce masking in the classroom.

"We are seeking an immediate pause of the decision to remove masking, as well as the incorrect assertion that school boards cannot continue their own mandates," Orlagh O'Kelly, co-counsel on the application, said in a statement.

The decision was made without adequate time for school boards to review and address the needs of all students, and without proper notice to families, O'Kelly said.

Banning schools from making their own decisions and from requiring masks violates the rights of school-aged children, she said.

"Parents want schools open, but open to all regardless of disability, which means keeping the mandate in place."

If the court agrees to hear the case, the applicants will bring evidence showing that the decision to lift the mask mandate was premature, AFL president Gil McGowan said.

"They will also argue that the decision was based on narrow political concerns, not a careful consideration of the public interest," McGowan said in a statement Monday.

Judge rejects part of application to reinstate mandatory masking in Alberta schools, rest of case to be heard later

An Alberta judge has dismissed part of an application looking to reverse the government’s decision to end mandatory masking of students in schools.


© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Most students leaving Austin O'Brien High School to get on a bus wear masks on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 even thought the provincial mandate to wear a mask in schools has been stopped.

Ashley Joannou

EDMONTON JOURNAL

But the fight over the change, and what it means particularly for disabled students, is expected to continue.

Lawyers representing a number of disabled students and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) were in the Court of Queen’s Bench Monday looking for a judge to immediately reinstate the right of Alberta school boards to enforce their own masking mandates.

That part of the application was dismissed. However, lawyers say their broader application, which argues that ending mandatory masking appears to be arbitrary, unreasonable, and not founded in medical literature or current public health conditions, will still be heard by a judge. No date has been set yet.

The application says the students all have disabilities and/or complex medical conditions and will suffer discrimination if mandatory masking, particularly in schools, is discontinued.

“The decision made by the chief medical officer was rushed,” Sharon Roberts, a partner at Roberts O’Kelly Law who is arguing for the injunction, said in a statement.

“Removing universal masking in schools forces many children to choose between their education and their health — and in some cases, their life.”

Parents made decision prior to mask announcement

In an interview with Postmedia Monday, Orlagh O’Kelly, co-counsel on the injunction, said most parents had to decide by Feb. 1 whether their kids would attend online or in-person learning and they did that with the understanding that masks would be mandatory.

A week later the government announced it was ending the mask requirement and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange sent a letter to school boards saying they no longer had the power to institute rules of their own.

“For these vulnerable kids that changed their ability to attend in-person … they’re going to have to be homeschooled or have no school,” O’Kelly said.

“So I think that’s the harm here. Every day that goes by that a child has no access to school is unacceptable in our view.”

Masks are still optional in schools but O’Kelley said for her clients part of what helped keep them safe was that the rules were universal.

“This is just basic adverse impact discrimination. So, even though on its face it seems neutral — everyone can make a personal choice — at law, that neutral impact has adverse effects on the vulnerable and therefore is contrary to Section 15 which protects equality rights in the charter,” she said.

The court application argues that the decision was based on the demands of protestors at Alberta’s illegal border blockade and not public health evidence. It alleges the decision was made by politicians, who don’t have jurisdiction under the Public Health Act, and not Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

Premier Jason Kenney slams application

Responding to the court’s decision Monday on Twitter, Premier Jason Kenney called the application ridiculous and said that “common sense is prevailing.”

In a statement of her own, LaGrange called the application a “stunt” by the AFL and said the pandemic has impacted all Albertans, especially children.

“Alberta’s government has aimed to balance the risks of COVID-19 to children with the impacts caused by public health restrictions. Such measures can have an adverse effect on the physical, mental and social development of children,” she said.

Unions representing school employees, including educational assistants, are members of the AFL.

In a statement of its own, AFL president Gil McGowan called the decision to end the masking requirement “premature, reckless and irresponsible.”


© Ed Kaiser

Students in favour of wearing masks in school held a rally near the Alberta legislature, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022.

Meanwhile, some students co-ordinated a province-wide protest against the government’s decision by walking out of class at 2:45 p.m. Monday and rallying outside Alberta’s legislature.

Sam Clark, a Grade 12 student and one of the protest organizers, said demonstrators want the government to reimpose a mask mandate for students.

“We find that it was a dangerous decision that did not consider the well-being of students, staff and health-care professionals,” Clark told Postmedia in a phone interview. “Letting ‘kids be kids’ really involves letting them be safe.”

Masks are still required for those two and older in Edmonton’s indoor, public places despite the province’s removal of mask requirements for kids.

Edmonton’s mask bylaw remains in effect and supersedes the end of the provincial mandate. The city’s rule doesn’t extend to elementary schools, post-secondary institutions or child-care facilities.

The city’s mandate is slated to be in effect until at least 28 days after Edmonton’s case rate falls below 100 per 100,000 people. The current case rate is 470.

But Kenney said the provincial government is looking at potentially changing legislation to prohibit municipalities from making their own decisions when it comes to masking.

“We’re looking at our options, we have not made a final decision,” Kenney said Monday. “I think it’s much better if the province, as we try to get life back to normal, has one simple, easy to understand and consistent policy on public health.”


© Provided by Edmonton Journal

2,647 new COVID cases over weekend

Alberta reported 2,647 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, which includes 1,146 cases from Friday, 866 from Saturday and 635 Sunday. There are currently 20,865 active cases in the province, 3,289 fewer cases than reported Friday.

The province also has 1,528 people in hospital infected with COVID-19 (38 fewer than reported Friday), which includes 124 intensive care patients.

Alberta’s COIVD-19 death toll has climbed to 3,776 after the province reported 35 more deaths Monday.




© Provided by Edmonton Journal

– With files from Dustin Cook and Hamdi Issawi

Edmonton Public Schools calls for firebreak COVID-19 measures, including closure of all schools

Author of the article: Anna Junker
Publishing date: Oct 05, 2021 •

Edmonton Public Schools board chairwoman Trisha Estabrooks discusses the division's 2021-22 back to school plan during a news conference in Edmonton on Monday Aug. 16, 2021.

 PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia

Edmonton Public Schools is calling on the province to implement firebreak COVID-19 public health measures that would see the closure of all schools in the province.

The recommendation, brought forward Tuesday, asks for all schools to move to online classes for a minimum of two weeks

Board chair Trisha Estabrooks said the division does not have the jurisdiction to close schools themselves, and she agonized over whether to vote for the firebreak recommendation.

“I feel like we’re letting families and kids down. I’ve spoken to families and parents, we’re lifelines, schools are literally lifelines for these families,” she said.

“Families continue to suffer because of a lack of information and clarity, and I just keep saying it didn’t have to be this way. Kids are suffering when they have their pediatric cancer surgeries canceled, for crying out loud. If that’s not an indicator of a crisis in our province, I don’t know what else is.”

If the province were to close schools, the board is also asking for notice in advance of any closure as well as financial support for families. The recommendation is one of four passed by trustees during a special board meeting on Tuesday.

Other trustees also had strong words about having to be in the position to advocate for the Alberta government to take action to address the fourth wave of COVID-19.

Trustee Nathan Ip said sometimes he feels like he is living in the Twilight Zone, having to make decisions like these during a public health crisis.

“I do feel compelled to take a moment to call out our provincial government, because it is a spectacular abdication of responsibility and failure of leadership,” he said.

“There is really no two ways about it. School boards have been left in the dark for weeks and months.”

Speaking after the board meeting, Estabrooks said she believes the division wouldn’t have had to call for a firebreak if the province had reinstated notification of positive cases, contact tracing and isolation when the school year began.

“I highly doubt we would be in this situation, and so it didn’t have to be this way and this is an absolute last resort,” she said.

“I’m a parent myself, I speak to many parents on a daily basis, no one wants to be in this situation, but at what point do we recognize that this is just not sustainable?”

She noted the division has been very clear in their ask of the province to share COVID-19 information.

“These are the measures that worked last year,” she said. “I continue to be frustrated and a little baffled, quite frankly, why we’re not seeing those measures put in place.”

The second recommendation trustees passed was to continue to advocate for testing, tracing and isolating of COVID-19 cases in schools and resume notification by Alberta Health Services of positive cases.

However, during an update on COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said the province is reinstating contact tracing.

In the interim, beginning Oct. 12, school authorities will determine close contacts of individuals who were infectious while attending school, and they will notify families of those close contacts. By mid-November, Alberta Health Services (AHS) will take over identification of close contacts.

“School authorities will help this AHS team to identify close contacts and will focus on school-based exposures only, such as identifying classroom contacts and close contacts through participation in school sports or extracurricular activities,” she said.

“Contact notification will not extend to positive cases, community activities or out of school contacts.”

When asked about the call for a two-week shutdown and why it took so long for the government to reinstate contact tracing, LaGrange said they have been monitoring the situation closely, added other measures to keep students safe, and “will continue to do what is required to keep our students and our staff safe.”

Edmonton Public is also calling for HEPA units to be used in classrooms for increased ventilation and air quality, and to call for the province to provide rapid COVID-19 tests to families that can be used at home.

However, the province will seek six million rapid antigen tests to help parents administer two tests per week to unvaccinated children, beginning in high-priority areas such as schools that are experiencing an outbreak and under-vaccinated areas.

LaGrange said those in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be offered the program in schools experiencing outbreaks of 10 or more cases of COVID-19.

“Every student and staff member at these schools will be able to access tests for free,” she said.

As of Monday, there were 699 self-reported COVID-19 cases across 175 schools since school began in September, Supt. Darrel Robertson said.

About 67 per cent of those are in kindergarten to Grade 6, 11 per cent are in grades 7 to 9 and 13 per cent are in grades 10 to 12.

There are also 55 cases of COVID-19 among staff.

Meanwhile, Edmonton Catholic Schools announced Tuesday it would be mandating vaccines for all employees. They have until Oct. 25 to be fully vaccinated, unless they require an accommodation under the Alberta Human Rights Act or participate in a regular, rapid COVID-19 testing program.

Others who are in direct contact with students and/or employees must also be fully vaccinated in order to enter a division property, including contractors and volunteers.

With files from Ashley Joannou

  

Alberta to resume contact tracing in schools, provide rapid testing kits to families

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Some critics say return of contact tracing

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Michelle Bellefontaine · CBC News · Posted: Oct 05, 2021 

Edmonton Public Schools knows of 699 cases in 175 schools, with 67 per cent in the kindergarten to Grade 6 grades, where students still aren't eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, but suspects there are many more. (Codie McLachlan)

The Alberta government is bringing back contact tracing in schools and plans to provide rapid testing kits to help parents in outbreak areas test their children twice a week at home. 

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Tuesday that schools will start notifying close contacts of students who were infectious at school.

The shift comes with the province in the midst of a deadly fourth wave of COVID-19 that has overwhelmed the province's hospitals and ICUs and forced the government to accept medical help from the Canadian Armed Forces, the Red Cross and other provinces. 

Alberta Health Services had stopped notifying schools of positive test results so districts were relying on parents to tell them if their children fall ill.  

Some school boards and other advocacy groups have been calling for contact tracing and other measures since the beginning of the school year. Now, some critics say Tuesday's announcement comes too late.

At a news conference Tuesday, LaGrange defended her government's COVID-19 approach for schools.

"We started the year with very strong protocols," she said, listing the masking and cohorting measures already in place.

"We will continue to monitor very, very closely, and if additional measures are required we will absolutely do that."

• Edmonton Public Schools calls on province to bring back contact tracing in Alberta classrooms

Public list of schools on outbreak

On Wednesday, Alberta Health will start publicly listing schools that have more than two students who were infectious while in school.

Alerts will be issued if a school has two to four cases, or five to nine cases. If a school has 10 or more cases, an outbreak will be declared. This is a shift from the province's previous requirement that 10 per cent of a school population be infected with COVID-19 before an outbreak would be declared.

Alberta Health Services will investigate all outbreaks at schools within a two-week period. 

• Alberta government won't release data on how many schools have COVID-19 outbreaks

Contact tracing

Beginning Oct. 12, parents will be informed if their child may have been exposed to COVID-19 at school. Initially, school authorities will handle contact tracing and notification using data supplied by Alberta Health Services. 

Alberta Health Services will take over contact tracing in schools by the middle of November. At that point, an online map will be available where parents will be able to view alerts and outbreaks at schools. 

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 will move to online learning from home if there are three or more infectious cases in a class in a five-day period. Families of students in a class that gets sent home will be asked to avoid public places, monitor for symptoms, and get tested if a child starts showing symptoms. The families will not be required to otherwise quarantine. 

Rapid tests for Kindergarten to Grade 6

Officials also announced a targeted rapid testing program for Kindergarten to Grade 6 schools as vaccines aren't yet available to students in that age group. 

The province will start handing out tests in late October at schools that are on outbreak status. Tests will be distributed to staff and parents. The rapid tests are voluntary, and are to be done at home as a screening tool for students who are asymptomatic.

The province is also encouraging school districts to enact mandatory vaccination policies for staff.

LaGrange says the province can't enact a similar policy for students because they cannot be denied access to schools. 

Return of contact tracing welcomed

Calgary Board of Education Superintendent Christopher Usih said he welcomes news that contact tracing will return. 

"We've had situations where families have expressed concerns around the self-notification option that was in place because it was very difficult to establish the veracity of that information and even to know whether or not we're getting full compliance around that piece," Usih said. 

He was also pleased to see the change in classifying an outbreak at 10 students rather than 10 per cent of students.

No 'firebreak'

Earlier on Tuesday, Edmonton Public School Board trustees passed a motion calling on the province to reinstate case notification, contact tracing and isolation of close contacts in schools, to enact provincial ventilation standards and for Alberta Education to purchase specialized air filters for classrooms that meet standards set by experts. 

WATCH | "It didn't have to be this way," says board chair Trisha Estabrooks

Edmonton Public Schools board chair Trisha Estabrooks says the provincial government should have prioritized in-person learning from the planning stages. 5:08

Trustees also called for a "firebreak" — a two-week minimum closure of all Alberta schools in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Districts are not able to close schools without the permission of Alberta Education. 

"On the one hand I'm glad they're putting these measures in place, on the other hand I fear that it is too late," said Edmonton Public School Board trustee Shelagh Dunn on Tuesday evening.

Dunn said Tuesday that none of the trustees want to see schools closed and that they know the disruption in learning wouldn't be good for students. But she said it feels like the time for last resort measures have arrived.

"However, there's been such a lack of provincial leadership in this situation, and the case numbers are so great and the impact on our hospitals is frightening to watch."

Dunn's own son got COVID-19 during an outbreak that saw nearly a quarter of the students in his school test positive. 

"It really threw our community into chaos. There was no contact tracing by AHS, there was no notification to the school about cases other than those that parents were calling in themselves. And it did happen really quickly," she said.

• Vaccinations will be required for teachers, school staff and volunteers at Edmonton Public Schools

Reacting to LaGrange's announcement, NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman called the measures "too little, too late," and said the government has dumped the burden of contact tracing onto school staff.

But Hoffman stopped short of calling for moving classes online, and said she thinks schools should be the last place to be shut down. She said that's why she has called on the province to ask the Canadian Armed Forces for personnel to help with contact tracing. 

"To say 'we're going to take another six weeks to set up a contact tracing system' I don't think is good enough. I think if they do see the urgency here, if the UCP sees the urgency, they need to call in the help."

With files from Paige Parsons and Lucie Edwardson

Province vows to help schools with phased-in contact tracing, rapid tests as COVID cases soar in kids

'These measures were needed a month ago, and the urgency was there to act long before now,' said Medeana Moussa, spokeswoman for the Support Our Students advocacy group

Author of the article :Eva Ferguson

CALGARY HERALD
Publishing date:Oct 05, 2021 • 

Students exit Western Canada High School at the end of a school day on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. 

PHOTO BY AZIN GHAFFARI/POSTMEDIA

Weeks after the start of the school year and long after school boards and parents pleaded for help, the UCP government is finally vowing to support schools with phased-in contact tracing and rapid tests as COVID cases in kids continue to soar.

But questions remain as to whether the help is too little too late, and how much support will arrive exactly when, with promises of “after Thanksgiving,” “late October,” and “mid-November.”

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced phased-in support from Alberta Health Services to help schools with contact tracing, identifying positive cases and notifying close contacts.

“This fourth wave has made things challenging, especially for families of children not yet eligible for vaccine,” LaGrange said.

“We’ve always committed to monitoring the pandemic and making changes to ensure in-person learning can continue safely.”

But phased-in contact tracing won’t begin until after the Thanksgiving long weekend, and will still require help from school authorities until the middle of next month.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, said it will take at least four to six weeks to recruit and hire the contact tracers required to do the work.

“It’s not that easy to just flick a switch,” LaGrange said, saying AHS won’t fully take over contact tracing until mid-November.

As well, close contacts will only be required to isolate for 10 days if there are three or more cases in a classroom. That protocol still differs from last year when an entire classroom would have to isolate when just one case was identified.

Parents have been demanding full reinstatement of AHS reporting, contact tracing and isolating since early August, when Support Our Students issued a news release asking for more robust safety protocols.

And on Sept. 17, the Calgary Board of Education sent a letter to LaGrange demanding the return of contact tracing and more supports from AHS.

“These measures were needed a month ago, and the urgency was there to act long before now,” said Medeana Moussa, spokeswoman for the Support Our Students advocacy group.

“The UCP government’s refusal to act sooner has all but caused this fourth wave and the terrible health crisis Alberta now finds itself in.”

As COVID cases surge and hospitals struggle with capacity, provincial data shows Alberta kids aged 5 to 11 years of age are hitting a seven-day average of 68 cases per 100,000, the highest for that demographic since the start of the pandemic.

The next highest peak occurred during the third wave, in May, when kids aged 5 to 11 years hit a seven-day average of 54 cases per 100,000.



The province says it will also ramp up rapid testing in schools, but that support won’t come until “late October” when tests will be provided to parents and staff connected to schools that are in outbreak status with 10 or more cases of COVID-19.

The AHS will now be reporting COVID case numbers in schools across Alberta on its website.

The UCP government is also encouraging school authorities to develop policies that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for teachers, staff and anyone who enters a school.

The call comes days after Premier Jason Kenney said only school districts can issue vaccine mandates as employers of school staff, not the province.

The CBE announced Tuesday that all employees and CBE partners must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 17, including contracted service providers, tenants and all volunteers.

The board is providing more than two months as a transition period to give individuals time to declare their vaccine status and comply.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Catholic School District is expected to discuss similar legislation for its employees at a board meeting Wednesday.

Still, parents continue to be fearful of taking kids to school, wondering whether even if they aren’t sick, they’re spreading the virus to family members at a time when the highly contagious Delta variant is infecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Moussa added parents are frustrated with the lack of leadership and slow movement on COVID and rising cases in schools by the UCP government.

“The province could have easily implemented these protocols to ensure that schools remain safe,” Moussa said.

“Instead, they have allowed the Delta variant to rip through schools, download responsibility, point fingers at school districts and continue to be a government that refuses to govern.”

Meanwhile, 10 vaccination clinics at Calgary schools are among 300-plus clinics that have been cancelled across the province due to a lack of consent.

As of Sept. 28, approximately 221 in-school COVID-19 immunization clinics had been completed in Alberta, 128 of those in Calgary, and 438 were still planned.

In-school clinics are scheduled to continue until Oct. 15.

  

Braid: Late again, UCP tries to get a grip on COVID chaos in schools

The UCP clings to its own myths until there’s no choice but to act, too late every time

Author of the article: Don Braid • Calgary Herald
Publishing date: Oct 05, 2021 •

Students exit Western Canada High School at the end of a school day on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. 

Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia
Article content

While the Kenney government was working up its latest COVID-19 plan Monday and Tuesday, 26 more people died and a lot of children got sick.

Remember when the government said the dying was ending? Remember when they said young kids weren’t at much risk?

At this moment, children from five to 11 years old make up one-quarter of reported cases. Schools will now go back to contact tracing, rebranded as “contact notification.”

But teachers will do some of it themselves because the government took down the school tracing system, despite begging from educators everywhere to keep it running.

The policy shift in the “greatest summer,” when the UCP went into pandemic denial, caused COVID chaos in the school systems.

Undeniably, it also caused more kids to catch the virus, which they will now be spreading outside the schools.

This is what one school board east of Edmonton told teachers only weeks ago: “At the direction of the chief medical officer of health, Alberta Health Services will no longer notify close contacts of potential COVID-19 exposures including close contacts in school.”

And then — if you can believe this — the notice said: “Due to privacy law, we cannot ask or disclose if students and staff are exposed or positive.”

Teachers were actively prohibited from telling any child, or parent, if there were sick kids in the classroom.

The teacher also could not be told if any child was sick. The kids couldn’t tell each other.

One teacher said: “I don’t even get to know if any kids in my class have COVID. Ridiculous!”

That was a policy petri dish for COVID-19.

Now, information sharing is back, the latest of the government’s wild gyrations during this crisis.

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman was even more fierce than usual when she said Tuesday: “The COVID situation in Alberta schools has spiralled out of control due to the gross negligence of (Education Minister) Adriana LaGrange and every one of the UCP MLAs who remained silent while the virus tore through the schools in their communities.

“For the first time today, the premier spoke about the rapid spread of COVID among children.

“For months, we have known about the spread of COVID ramping up among school-aged children but the UCP has always dismissed the risk to young Albertans.”

In May 2020, when infections were falling, Premier Jason Kenney told the legislature: “What we are learning is that younger people, although not completely immune, have a rate of mortality related to COVID that is no higher than their general mortality rate from other illnesses.”

By saying that kids are “not completely immune,” the premier suggested they are partly immune, which is clearly not true.

Premier Jason Kenney announces Alberta’s reopening plan in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

 PHOTO BY CHRIS SCHWARZ/GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

The virus has evolved, obviously. What’s shocking is how the government doesn’t evolve along with it. The UCP clings to its own myths until there’s no choice but to act, too late every time.

Sun columnist Rick Bell asked Kenney on Tuesday how he could regain trust. The premier didn’t even pretend to respond.

But it’s an important question, because a government that isn’t trusted is much less likely to be obeyed.

If the new measures announced Tuesday are simply scorned and flouted, Thanksgiving 2021 will give the virus an even bigger boost than it did last year.

They’re asking unvaccinated people not to gather indoors and limiting the vaccinated to 10 people over 12 years old, from only two families. The outdoor gathering limit has been dropped from 200 people to 20.

The indoor rule is especially hard for families longing to gather.

And yet, to paraphrase the risqué old British saying, people should close their eyes and think of Alberta. Defying the government will only make everything worse.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

Twitter: @DonBraid

Facebook: Don Braid Politics

Contact tracing coming back to Alberta schools

BY SAIF KAISAR AND HANA MAE NASSAR
Posted Oct 5, 2021

 
FILE (CityNews)

SUMMARY


Alberta appears to be changing course on contact tracing in schools


Sources confirm to 660 NEWS the province will be bringing contact tracing back to classrooms


Contact tracing in schools ended when other COVID-19 measures were scaled back over the summer


CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Contact tracing will be coming back to Alberta schools, government sources have confirmed to 660 NEWS.

The province is expected to make the official announcement at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Premier Jason Kenney will be joined by Health Minister Jason Copping, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and Alberta Health Services President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu for the announcement.

The return of contact tracing comes as Alberta continues to struggle with increasing COVID-19 case loads.

Contact tracing had been taking place in schools last semester. However, as part of changes when restrictions were loosened this summer, those measures were scaled back in classrooms.

Many had been calling for the province to reinstate contact tracing, as well as other measures, as more students got sick.



Though the situation in Alberta continues to be dire, the province reported on Monday a slight drop in the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in hospital.

On Monday, an infectious diseases expert urged people to continue to take every precaution possible, saying COVID-19 could still be something we are dealing with for decades to come.

Experts continue to urge people to get vaccinated if they can, to protect those around them, including children who are not eligible for a shot yet.

Contact tracing coming back to Alberta schools


BY ANGELA STEWART AND TOM ROSS
Posted Oct 5, 2021

An empty teacher's desk is seen at the front of a empty classroom at McGee Secondary school in Vancouver on September 5, 2014. Alberta is planning to reopen schools in the province this fall even as cases of COVID-19 in the province continue to grow. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward


CALGARY (660 NEWS) – After months of pressure coming from school advocacy groups and parents, the province has decided to reinstate contact tracing in schools across Alberta.

“We have always maintained that our first priority is the safety and security of our students and staff and that will always be our number one priority,” said Adriana LaGrange, Education Minister.

“We started the year with very strong protocols. [In] mid-September, when there was a state of emergency, we added additional masking for grades four and up and all staff. We have also implemented cohorting for K-6 schools.”

Parents will soon be able to have a better idea if their child has been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case in school, but it won’t be taking effect right away.

“It’s not that easy to just flick a switch and start contract tracing again. We are going to have contact notification starting next week,” said LaGrange.

The province expects tracing will be back up and running in about four to six weeks.

More staff will need to be hired before complete tracing actives can resume.

Rapid testing will also be offered to start with K-6 classes in schools that experience outbreaks.

“We will continue to monitor very, very closely and if additional measures are required, we will absolutely do that.”

“Right now, we have nine schools that have transitioned to online learning for operational reasons,” added LaGrange.

The free kits will need to be picked up at the schools.


New gathering restrictions in place, 663 new COVID-19 cases


BY ANGELA STEWART
Posted Oct 5, 2021

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. Ontario is reporting three new cases of the novel coronavirus today, bringing the total in the province to 18.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID-RML via AP

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The province is announcing new gathering restrictions in time for Thanksgiving.

Starting Monday, those who are unvaccinated will no longer be able to gather indoors. However, vaccinated people can have an indoor gathering with up to 10 people.

When it comes to outdoor gatherings, those restrictions have been dropped from 200 guests to 20.

Albertans are being urged to follow the rules this Thanksgiving weekend.

“Our hospitals and front-line teams do not have the capacity to handle another significant spike in cases,” said Dr. Verna Yiu Tuesday afternoon.

When it comes to new COVID-19 cases in the province, 663 new cases have been confirmed.

In the last 24 hours, 8,018 tests were completed.

Sadly, 26 more people have died from COVID-19 related complications.

There are 1,094 people in the hospital — and of those, 252 are in the ICU.

Alberta has 19,456 active cases province-wide.

COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for CBE employees


BY 660 NEWS STAFF
Posted Oct 5, 2021

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2021 file photo a medical staff member prepares the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, Calif. With vaccination against COVID-19 in full swing, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter say they’ve stepped up their fight against misinformation that aims to undermine trust in the vaccines.

 (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is mandating COVID-19 vaccines for all its employees, volunteers, and other CBE partners.

The news comes as the Edmonton School Board made it mandatory that all employees be vaccinated against the virus.

READ MORE: Alberta teachers support mandatory vaccination policy for educational staff

The mandate will not take effect until Dec. 17.

RELATED: Contact tracing coming back to Alberta schools

CBE Superintendent Christopher Usih says there will be a transition period to allow people to declare their vaccine status.

More information regarding vaccine declaration dates, the short-term process for rapid testing for staff and specifics on exemption will be coming soon.

Students are encouraged to get vaccinated as well, but it is not a requirement.