Monthly Archives: August 2020

Our Provincial Government Cannot Continue to Rely on Miracles

August 28, 2020

In yesterday’s briefing, Premier Ford said, “We’re really relying on school boards. I just told them I have all the confidence in the world that they’re going to be able to get through this and make sure that the students and the staff are in a very safe environment”. As a co-founder of Fix Our Schools, a parent-led, non-partisan campaign started over 6 years ago to advocate for safe, healthy, well-maintained school buildings in Ontario, I literally felt tears spring to my eyes as I read this – tears of anger, frustration, and disbelief. 

2 DECADES NO CHANGE For Ontario School kidsFor over 20 years, successive provincial governments have relied on school boards to work miracles while being chronically and grossly underfunded by the Province. When Fix Our Schools began in 2014, provincial funding was a mere $150-M per year for school repair and renewal – ONE-TENTH of what industry standards suggested was the bare minimum! Yet the narrative of the provincial government was that somehow, the disrepair that accumulated in our provincial school buildings was the fault of SCHOOL BOARDS?? I guess the provincial government “relying on school boards and having confidence in them” to keep Ontario’s schools safe, healthy and well-maintained didn’t actually work out so well, given that the school boards only had ONE-TENTH of what was actually NEEDED to accomplish this goal. Sound familiar at all?

While we’ve been advocating for adequate, stable provincial funding for years now to ensure all Ontario public schools are safe, healthy, and well-maintained – we now find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has laid bare just how critical public education is to students, families, communities, and our society – and just how critical the school BUILDINGS are to student, teacher, and education worker’s safety and well-being. BUT – it isn’t realistic to starve a system for over two decades and then expect that it is in tip-top shape for you in a pandemic.

What's a parent to do? FIX THIS!Premier Ford: Over the course of the 14 years that I’ve been a parent of students attending publicly funded schools in this province, I have seen teachers, education workers, principals, trustees and school board staff work miracles every single day DESPITE lack of adequate resources from the provincial government. So, I actually DO have confidence that these same individuals WILL somehow over the coming two weeks work MIRACLES to ensure our children are safe and that the adults in school buildings are safe as well. BUT – this isn’t how things ought to be. Public education and schools ought to be a top priority for every provincial government and providing adequate, stable funding is absolutely imperative. However, your government has treated public education and schools as an afterthought to things like bars and nail salons; been slow to provide guidance; continuously flip-flopped on said guidance; and, most disappointing is that your government has continued the long-standing provincial tradition of chronic and gross underfunding of public education and schools – while pushing accountability and responsibility for working miracles down to school boards, teachers, principals, and education workers.

Who is ASHRAE and why should we care?

August 27, 2020

Today, we are lucky to have Christa Brown, P.Eng. as our guest blogger. Please see her complete bio at the end of this blog post. 

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is “a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing, and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today” (source: ashrae.org)

In more practical terms, or why you should care – ASHRAE (pronounced ash●ray) is the ultimate source of truth when it comes to best practices for all indoor built environments in North America. The standards and guidelines created by this organization span the construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings, adhere to local building code regulations, as well as outline proven, industry-recognized best practices from an economic, safety, and environmental perspective. These standards and guidelines are created by committees of subject matter experts through a rigorous peer-review process.

At the onset of COVID-19, ASHRAE formed an Epidemic Task Force and quickly began adding new resources to its website. Visit ashrae.org/covid19 if you want to dig in and learn more. I highly recommend their PDF infographic guide as a start. You can click on any of the icons in this infographic to access the publicly available resource page. One resource that is of particular relevance for concerned parents, teachers, caretakers, and voters as we inch closer to September, is their building readiness and reopening guide for schools and universities. This guide provides “practical information and checklists to school district and university campus environmental health managers, facility managers, administrators, technicians, and service providers to prepare educational buildings to resume occupancy. This information describes how the HVAC systems should be operating to help minimize the chance of spreading SARS-Cov-2 and how to practically check/verify that operation.”

The main takeaway – the science is clear, and industry standards and guidelines already exist to make our schools safer. To make this happen, adequate provincial funding is obviously needed in order to follow the recommendations of HVAC experts.

Furthermore, there is also a gap when it comes to existing low-price purchasing practices preventing schools from partnering with reputable service providers and evaluating the cost of solutions with a longer-term, value-based mindset. We’re all spending our own money when investing in public infrastructure. So let’s do that wisely. Similar to how we make investment decisions for our own homes, investments in school infrastructure should be evaluated on 20-30 year payback cycles, not four-year election cycles. In the maintenance world, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Author: Christa Brown, P.Eng.

Bio: Christa is a professional engineer with 15 years experience in HVAC water treatment and maintenance best practices. Her experience has inspired an advocacy for value-based procurement in the public sector. Christa currently works for Fiix Software, a certified B-Corp that believes better maintenance builds better economical, social and environmental outcomes.

 

Ensuring Air and Water Quality in Schools After Being Closed for 6 Months

August 25, 2020

As principals, teachers, and education workers move forward in getting their classrooms and schools ready for a safe return to school, the fact that these buildings have been unused for six months is an important consideration. Testing the water quality, running any forced air systems, and testing air quality prior to school starting is an important element of schools reopening.

The provincial government has only allocated $50-M for all Ontario’s school boards to dedicate to HVAC, and did not leave school boards with much time.

That said, school boards can: 

  • conduct regular maintenance (testing, flushing, changing filters, cleaning ductwork, etc) of their existing systems
  • conduct any needed/previously identified upgrades or easy to install enhancements that could be done to those existing systems to improve air quality and ventilation.  
  • work to ensure that as many windows as possible open wide enough to bring in outdoor air and improve ventilation – many Ontario windows may have some type of guard/lock that could be adjusted/removed
  • flush all standing water in toilets 
  • flush out all faucets and drinking fountains by running the water 

You can contact your local Trustee to ask how your local school board is using the limited provincial funding provided for a safe return to school in the limited time they were allocated.

Ventilation Continues to be a Big Concern in Ontario Schools

August 20, 2020

The SickKids’ report entitled, “COVID-19: Guidance for School Reopening”  was first released on June 17, 2020. Fix Our Schools noted with interest that ventilation was cited as an important element of a safe return to school, and so began to ask citizens to submit concerns about ventilation in their local schools.

We have heard from dozens of parents, educators and education workers across the province with a myriad of issues pertaining to ventilation, including classrooms without windows, windows that do not open at all or that only open a tiny bit, and some older schools and portables without HVAC systems to bring in fresh air from outside, and have presented details in the table below.

We urge you to contact your local MPP (we’ve provided emails below) and also Premier Ford (premier@ontario.ca) and Minister Lecce (stephen.lecce@pc.ola.org) to voice your concerns about ventilation in your local schools, and to urge this provincial government to provide the funding actually needed for publicly funded schools to open their doors safely in a few short weeks.

School Board Ventilation Issue MPP Riding Party
Tom Thomson School HDSB Classrooms with windows only at ceiling
Windows do not open
Some shared spaces with no windows		 Hon. Jane McKenna
email: jane.mckenna@pc.ola.org		 Burlington PC
Mohawk Gardens Public School HDSB Most classrooms without windows
Some classrooms with tiny windows up high		 Hon. Jane McKenna
email: jane.mckenna@pc.ola.org		 Burlington PC
Central Public School HDSB Poor ventilation Hon. Jane McKenna
email: jane.mckenna@pc.ola.org		 Burlington PC
John T. Tuck Public School HDSB Windows on top floor barely open
Office spaces with no windows		 Hon. Jane McKenna
email: jane.mckenna@pc.ola.org		 Burlington PC
Tait St. Public School WRDSB Windows don’t fully open Hon. Belinda C. Karahalios
email: belinda.karahalios@pc.ola.org		 Cambridge PC
Kars on the Rideau Public School OCDSB Poor ventilation
Poor air circulation
Air has a musty smell		 Hon. Goldie Ghamari
email: goldie.ghamari@pc.ola.org		 Carleton PC
Mount Hope School HWDSB Upper level windows do not open
Lower level windows barely open		 Hon. Donna Skelly
email: donna.skelly@pc.ola.org		 Flamborough-Glanbrook PC
Earl of March Secondary School OCDSB Interior classrooms without windows
Poor ventilation system		 Hon. Merrilee Fullerton
email: merrilee.fullerton@pc.ola.org		 Kanata—Carleton PC
Kemptville Public School UCDSB Brand new building has windows that don’t open and class with no window at all Hon. Steve Clark
email: steve.clark@pc.ola.org		 Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes PC
Harry Bowes PS YRDSB Windows barely open
Poor air circulation		 Hon. Paul Calandra
email: paul.calandra@pc.ola.org		 Markham—Stouffville PC
Randall Public School YRDSB Kindergarten class windows won’t open Hon. Logan Kanapathi
email: logan.kanapathi@pc.ola.org		 Markham—Thornhill PC
Forest Glen Public School PDSB Windows barely open Hon. Kaleed Rasheed
email: kaleed.rasheed@pc.ola.org		 Mississauga East—Cooksville PC
Gladys Speers Public School HDSB Windows that don’t open
Windows that barely open		 Hon. Stephen Crawford
email: stephen.crawford@pc.ola.org		 Oakville PC
Center Wellington District High School UGDSB Windows don’t open
A/C functions poorly, or is not turned on
Classrooms on 3rd floor reach 40°C		 Hon. Ted Arnott
email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org		 Wellington-Halton Hills PC
Crescent Town School TDSB Five classrooms with no windows Hon. Rima Berns-McGown
email: RBerns-McGown-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Beaches—East York NDP
Gledhill Junior Public School TDSB No ventilation
Classroom sink doesn’t work		 Hon. Rima Berns-McGown
email: RBerns-McGown-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Beaches—East York NDP
D A Morrison Middle School TDSB Air system does not move air well around building: poor heathing & cooling
NONE of the classrooms have windows that open.
Changes to building (from open concept) lead to poor air circulation		 Hon. Rima Berns-McGown
email: RBerns-McGown-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Beaches—East York NDP
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School DPCDSB Windows only open 3-4 inches
There are only 2 windows per classroom
Many rooms do not have screens
HVAC malfunctions		 Hon. Gurratan Singh
email: GSingh-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Brampton East NDP
École secondaire Toronto Ouest (shares building with Saint-Frère-André) CSViamonde Classrooms without windows
A/C is ancient, not working
Sewage system malfunctions		 Hon. Marit Stiles
email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Davenport NDP
École secondaire catholique Saint-Frère-André CSC MonAvenir No classrooms with windows
A/C is ancient, not working
Sewage system malfunctions		 Hon. Marit Stiles
email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Davenport NDP
Regal Road Public School TDSB No screens
Windows on south side need replacing
Windows that don’t open		 Hon. Marit Stiles
email: MStiles-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Davenport NDP
Westdale Secondary School HWDSB Windows barely open, or not at all
Year round, building has extreme temperatures		 Hon. Sandy Shaw
email: SShaw-CO@ndp.on.ca		 Hamilton NDP
Yorkview Elementary School HWDSB Extreme heat, poor air flow in classrooms and no air conditioning Hon. Sandy Shaw
SShaw-CO@ndp.on.ca		 Hamilton NDP
Dundana Elementary School HWDSB Extreme heat, poor air flow in classrooms and no air conditioning Hon. Sandy Shaw
SShaw-CO@ndp.on.ca		 Hamilton NDP
Memorial City Elementary School HWDSB Dust coming out of the ventilation system
Windows difficult to open
Windows barely open (3 inches)		 Hon. Andrea Horwath
email: horwatha-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Hamilton Centre NDP
Parkdale School HWDSB Some windows don’t open Hon. Paul Miller
email: pmiller-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Hamilton East – Stoney Creek NDP
Kingston Collegiate & Vocational Institute LDSB Windowless classrooms
Windows that don’t have the mechanisms to remain propped open
Students moving this winter to a new school that doesn’t have windows that open		 Hon. Ian Arthur
email: IArthur-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Kingston and the Islands NDP
St. John Catholic Elementary WCDSB Basement classrooms with windows that don’t open
Poor ventilation system		 Hon. Laura Mae Lindo
email: LLindo-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Kitchener Centre NDP
Clarke Road Secondary School TVDSB Classrooms with no windows
Hall windows are screwed shut		 Hon. Teresa J. Armstrong
email: tarmstrong-qp@ndp.on.ca		 London—Fanshawe NDP
Humberside Public School TDSB Windows barely open
Windows require textbooks to prop open
Unbearably hot year round
School has no fans		 Hon. Bhutila Karpoche
email: BKarpoche-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Parkdale-High Park NDP
Western Technical Commercial School TDSB Windows have broken frames & cranks Hon. Bhutila Karpoche
email: BKarpoche-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Parkdale-High Park NDP
Island Public school TDSB Classrooms with no windows Hon. Chris Glover
email: CGlover-CO@ndp.on.ca		 Spadina—Fort York NDP
École Élémentaire Immaculée Conception CSC MonAvenir Old building, poor ventilation
Shared with another school		 Hon. Jennifer Stevens
email: JStevens-QP@ndp.on.ca		 St. Catharines NDP
Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School SCDSB Kindergarten class with no windows Hon. Jamie West
email: JWest-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Sudbury NDP
Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School RDSB Classrooms with one small window that barely open
Science classroom with tiny window, no venting		 Hon. Jamie West
email: JWest-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Sudbury NDP
Winchester Public School TDSB Half of school building has ancient windows Hon. Suze Morrison
email: SMorrison-QP@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto Centre NDP
Roden P.S. TDSB Windows that do not open Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
Equinox Alternative School TDSB Windows that do not open Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
Holy Name Catholic School TCDSB Old windows with faulty mechanisms
Radiators, not enough ventilation
Stops on windows mean they only open 2-3″		 Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
RH McGregor Elementary School TDSB No windows that open in entire school
School is open concept with no walls
School is attached to a medical building
Roof leaks		 Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
Duke of a Connaught Public School TDSB The windows barely open (open diagonally to about 30 degrees)
Unbearable heat year round		 Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
Bruce Public School TDSB Windows barely open Hon. Peter Tabuns
email: tabunsp-qp@ndp.on.ca		 Toronto—Danforth NDP
York Humber High School TDSB Windows are locked closed
HVAC constantly breaking down		 Hon. Faisal Hassan
email: FHassan-QP@ndp.on.ca		 York South—Weston NDP
St. Anselm Catholic School TCDSB Old windows with faulty mechanisms
Radiators, not enough ventilation		 Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne
email: kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org		 Don Valley West LIBERAL
Carson Grove Elementary School OCDSB Windows don’t open
Some classrooms have no windows		 Hon. Lucille Collard
email: LCollard.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org		 Ottawa-Vanier LIBERAL
Ecole Gron Morgan Public School LDSB Poor ventilation
Extreme temperatures during winter		 Hon. Michael Gravelle
email: mgravelle.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org		 Thunder Bay—Superior North LIBERAL
Duncan J Schoular Public School UCDSB Design for school was to have a/c installed, so few windows, no real ventilation Hon. Randy Hillier
email: RHillier-CO@ola.org		 Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston INDEPENDENT

Comments and issues presented in the table above have been submitted to Fix Our Schools from citizens, and have not been verified by Fix Our Schools.

In an August 15, 2020, Toronto Star article by May Warren entitled, “What you need to know about ventilation as Ontario prepares for back to school in the age of COVID-19“, Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto states that “ventilation is all about bringing outdoor air in” but that people frequently confuse ventilation with filtration, which removes particles from the air that may contain COVID-19. Siegel notes that ventilation is much more important than filtration in reducing the spread of COVID-19, and that outdoor spaces seem to be the safest place to be, relative to COVID-19. One temporary solution for Ontario’s return to school plan would be to hold outdoor classes where possible. 

Seigel also raises the important point that HVAC systems in Ontario’s schools have been neglected for decades and require ongoing investments in order to be there when we need them the most – as in the case of a global pandemic! Premier Ford and all future provincial governments – please take note! Ongoing regular maintenance to ensure our infrastructure is in good working order is not a “nice to have” – it is a fiscal and health imperative.

In the same Toronto Star article, Fix Our Schools responded to Education Minister Lecce’s new allocation of $50-M for HVAC improvements in Ontario’s schools by saying this investment was “too little too late”. Krista Wylie, co-founder of Fix Our Schools noted that this investment only amounts to roughly $10,000 per school and that there were only a few weeks until schools are to reopen, leaving many classrooms in the position of likely being poorly ventilated this September.

Finally, the August 15 Toronto Star Article provides some vivid visuals about what bad, good and best classroom ventilation/airflow scenarios would look like, so be sure to check in with your children, teachers and education workers to find out what the scenario is like in their environment, once classes resume. Depending on what you discover, contact your local MPP and also Premier Ford (premier@ontario.ca) and Minister Lecce (stephen.lecce@pc.ola.org) to voice your concerns and urge this provincial government to provide the funding actually needed for schools to be the safe, healthy, well-maintained buildings that they ought to be.

Classroom airflow scenarios

Bad

Either windows don’t open or there are no windows so no fresh air is coming in. The heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is not working, or hasn’t been adjusted to bring in more outside air. There may be no HVAC system.

Better

Opening windows is ideal to get air flowing. If there are no windows, you can bring in portable air filters. HVAC systems, if they exist, should be adjusted to increase fresh airflow and reduce re-circulation. Filters should be changed frequently. Desks should be spaced 2 metres apart.

Best

If possible, classes could be held outside in the fresh air.

MCKENNA DEIGHTON

STAR GRAPHIC

“Unlocking” $500-M Sounds Great But Don’t Be Fooled

August 17, 2020

On Thursday, August 12, 2020, Education Minister Lecce announced that he was “unlocking” $500-M to help ensure a safe return to school in September. Sounds great at first blush – right? New provincial funding of a half-billion dollars to help ensure a safe return to school would, indeed, be great news. However, that is not what happened. In fact, zero new provincial dollars were allocated to funding public education and schools in Ontario when Minister Lecce performed his latest sleight of hand and “unlocked” $500-million dollars. 

What actually happened is that our provincial government gave school boards permission to access their reserve funds – or their “rainy day funds” as Premier Ford likes to call them.

What actually happened is that school boards are now being publicly pressured to use their reserve funds, which are all earmarked for future financial commitments or projects, to fund what ought to be funded by our provincial government in the form of new money to address serious concerns with the province’s back to school plan.   

What actually happened is that our provincial government shirked its responsibility to properly fund a safe return to school in September and downloaded that responsibility to local school boards, which have no way to generate revenue except to rely upon provincial funding.

Since 2014, Fix Our Schools has been calling on successive provincial governments to provide adequate, stable funding required to ensure safe, healthy, well-maintained school buildings that provide environments conducive to learning and working. Amidst a global pandemic, this call to action seems even more necessary. Premier Ford and Minister Lecce, will you prioritize the safety and well-being of 2-million students, teachers, and education workers in this province and commit the funding that is actually needed at this time by using your “rainy day” funds?

A Safe Back-to-School Plan Acknowledges Ontario Schools had $16.3-B of Disrepair Pre-Pandemic

August 13, 2020

As Fix Our Schools has maintained since 2014, our publicly funded schools are critical infrastructure. However, successive provincial governments have allowed $16.3-billion of disrepair to accumulate in these buildings over the last several decades. Therefore, even before the COVID pandemic, these critical public buildings were not providing an optimal environment for learning and working, nor were they always safe, healthy, or well-maintained. But the pandemic has certainly emphasized how critical our public school buildings are to the delivery of quality education, and to the safety and health of students, teachers, and education workers. All of a sudden, issues like good classroom ventilation are at the forefront of plans for a safe return to school.

In a conversation with Dahlia Kurtz on CFRA 580 on her radio program called “The Goods” on Sunday, August 2, Krista Wylie, co-founder of the Fix Our Schools campaign, shared the roots of disrepair in Ontario’s schools. She also provided some insights on what is needed to ensure a not only a safe return to school in September amidst a global pandemic but also safe, healthy, well-maintained school buildings as part of standard protocol in public education in Ontario.

When will the Ford Government Commit the Funding Actually NEEDED for a Safe Return to School

August 10, 2020

While the Ford government continues to tout Ontario’s back-to-school plan as safe, the consensus among parents, teachers, local public health authorities, and others is that additional provincial funding is needed.

On August 5, 2020, the Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna announced that the Canada Infrastructure Program was being adjusted so that provinces and territories can use federal funding to act quickly on a wider range of more pandemic-resilient infrastructure projects, including retrofitting schools to allow kids to go to school safely. This funding stream could be worth up to $3.3-billion.

Usually, provincial funding is the only source of money for investment in Ontario’s publicly funded school buildings so this is a welcome source of new funding!

We heard on August 7, 2020 that the Ford government, in partnership with the federal government, is providing $234.6 million in funding to keep children and staff safe in child care and early years settings to help pay for enhanced cleaning costs and health and safety requirements. Fix Our Schools is calling upon the Ford government to also commit additional funding to Ontario’s publicly funded schools to keep students, teachers and education workers safe in schools. Whether partnering with our federal government, digging into our own provincial coffers, or most likely – a combination of both – additional funding is a requirement for a safe return to school in Ontario.

Let’s Move Forward Assuming Premier Ford and Minister Lecce Meant What They Said!

August 4, 2020

A quick review of the last 10 days in public education in Ontario. It has been a whirlwhind!

On July 23, 2020, the Ministry of Education was very firm that there would be no additional funding to support COVID at this time.  

In the six days following that statement, a lot of political pressure came to bear on the Ford government:

  • Citizens across the province came together for a Day of Action on July 29th, visiting mant local MPP offices to demand a fully-funded, safe return to school.

And then on Thursday, July 30th, Minister Lecce and Premier Ford announced their plan for a return to school in September, along with a commitment of $309-million. While this amount is not nearly sufficient, Ford and Lecce also continued to pledge that they will do (and therefore spend) whatever is needed to keep students, teachers and education workers safe. Fix Our Schools is not alone in believing that all 72 Ontario school boards ought to move forward, assuming that Premier Ford and Minister Lecce meant what they said, to collaborate with their local public health units, teachers, principals, and education workers to develop the local plans they believe will be most successful.

As National Post columnist Chris Selley suggested in his August 1, 2020 column entitled, “Ontario school plan deserves a passing grade“, Ontario’s back-to-school plan could be more like successful back-to-school plans from other countries if school boards are given the resources they need. Selley also acknowledges that “the plan certainly could and should be more ambitious; its failure to mandate smaller class sizes or a minimum distance between students is conspicuous, in light of notably successful reopenings in Denmark and Norway — and in light of a report from doctors at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, which the government cites, that stressed the need for distancing. But there’s nothing in the plan that says schools can’t try to make the best of their individual situations. It’s at the local level that any plan fails or succeeds. Some might be able to install outdoor canopies on their sports fields, for example, to hold class outside even once summer is over. Some might have access to different kinds of nearby vacant space. Anything larger than your average at-capacity classroom would be beneficial, based on what we know, and I suspect the public would be happy to pay what it cost.“

In his July 30th Toronto Star column entitled, “Doug Ford is right to send Ontario students back to school“, Martin Regg Cohn calls Premier Ford and Minister Lecce’s back-to-school plan “a work in progress, a sensible start in the long road to recovery, albeit short on key details — notably its financial underpinnings.” Regg Cohn also states that “there are gaps in the plan, but they are not gaping holes that cannot be plugged with political will, a little goodwill, and financial wherewithal” and notes that “the government’s initial blueprint lowballs the ultimate costs” but he, too, reminds us that the Premier has “pledged to do (and therefore spend) whatever it takes to keep students safe — don’t forget teachers — so he can’t duck when the bills come due.”

So, as school boards move forward and release more detailed local plans for a safe return to school in September, we look forward to hearing and seeing the details of the actual costs of those plans so that Premier Ford knows how much he will need to spend beyond his initial commitment of $309-million.