SASKATOON — Saskatchewan-NDP leaders are calling on the Saskatchewan government to follow the footsteps of the other provinces and push back the return to school until a better plan is put in place against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Official Education Critic Carla Beck said students will return to classes on Tuesday while others are already back in classrooms on Monday, Jan. 3. But while the nine other provinces chose to push back the restart of classes, Saskatchewan has no plans of doing so despite the concerns over the Omicron variant.
“We see Saskatchewan being on the laggard end of measures. We are the only province in the country that has not delayed the return to school,” said Beck during a Zoom video conference on Monday afternoon.
Premiers from British Columbia in the west to the easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador had already announced that they are delaying the reopening of their respective schools after the two-week long Christmas holiday break.
Ontario, on Monday, even announced additional measures based on modelling in anticipation that the rising cases could again overwhelm their hospitals. They are even moving classes to online learning.
Beck said additional measures must first be put in place to secure everyone’s safety — students, faculty, and staff — as cases are again rising.
“We've put students back in classrooms [Monday] and well this week without additional measures, without additional [personal protective equipment] and is seemingly without a plan”
“Not only is there not a delay, but there has also been very little communication from the minister or anyone in his office to school divisions. We have no additional planning, and it would seem that this government and this minister are content to repeat the mistakes that they made in the fourth wave.”
Beck and Opposition leader Ryan Meili called on Premier Scott Moe to have additional safety measures in place before allowing students back to school. They are suggesting delaying the school reopening to next week until a better Omicron strategy is implemented and prevent a potential disaster.
“I think we're all tired. We all want students to be in school, but hoping without a plan is going to land us in the same position. We were in with the fourth wave and I don't think that's something that anyone wants. If [Education] Minister [Dustin] Duncan thinks his do-nothing plan is better than steps taken by every other education minister in the country, he should come out of hiding and defend it,” said Beck.
Meili added Duncan must act now.
“The reality is the Sask. Party’s plan to send thousands of kids back to school with no additional funding, public health measures, PPE or tests is one that’s doomed to fail. The minister needs to slam the brakes on this plan and bring together experts to create a plan that will keep kids in school in the long-term, he said, "It’s beyond comprehension that the premier refuses to learn from his fourth wave failures. He’s given up. Not only is he actively downplaying the real threat and endangering our healthcare system by doing nothing but he’s also putting the safety of our kids at risk,” said Meili.
Meili said the Omicron variant might become out of control in schools.
“Let me be clear - letting Omicron run wild in our schools will lead to our healthcare system being overrun and lives being needlessly lost. Once again, this premier is choosing politics, not the health of the people he represents.”
