NDP MPP echoes school board's call for expanded test distribution

KITCHENER — Ontario NDP MPP for Kitchener Centre Laura Mae Lindo echoed calls from trustees at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board for the Ford government to expand its distribution of free rapid antigen tests to include all staff, students, and their families.

Lindo further urged the government to provide all teachers and education workers with N95s when they return to school after the holidays. In September, the Waterloo Region District School Board sent a letter to the government asking for students and staff to be provided with KN95 or N95 masks for better protection. Upper Grand District School Board trustees recently supported motions requesting the same.

Last week, the WCDSB wrote to the government requesting it make free rapid antigen tests widely available to include all students, families, and education workers, as it has done in workplaces and other high-risk settings.

"As Omicron cases climb, parents, kids, and education workers are rightfully afraid of the virus's spread and scared they won't be returning to in-person school as they should after New year's," Lindo said.

"Doug Ford's government's distribution of two million rapid tests for a province of 15 million people clearly isn't cutting it. Kitchener Waterloo was one of the hardest-hit regions in Ontario by Delta, and Ford's response was too little too late.

"Now, his government Ford is sleepwalking Ontario into a scary Omicron wave, and he continues to scrimp on necessary measures to protect Ontarians and shield students from further school shutdowns."

The Ontario NDP has urged the Ford government to take the following actions to prevent school shutdowns:

• Free rapid tests for all teachers and education staff to take home over the holidays
• Free rapid tests for all students and education workers to continue taking after the holidays
• A vaccine blitz for students, including the 5-11 cohort, with in-school vaccine clinics with permission from parents
• A robust outreach campaign to parents to encourage vaccination for students between now and Jan. 3, including culturally relevant outreach applicable to different communities
• Mandatory vaccination for all teachers and education workers
• Reduced class sizes and school busloads, to begin Jan. 3
• Guaranteed improved ventilation in all schools
• Free N95 masks for all teachers and education workers
• Support for teachers and staff to help address critical learning gaps caused by previous shutdowns