Protests were held across Saskatchewan on Friday as parents, educators and children spoke out against the provincial government’s back-to-school plan.
Protesters say the Saskatchewan Safe Schools Plan, which was released Tuesday, ignores medical advice for COVID-19 and puts their kids at risk.
“There’s more thought put toward the safety in hair salons, golf courses, than there is children,” said Jo Barber, a former teacher.
Rallies took place across the province including in front of the legislature in Regina, at the offices of Saskatchewan Party members and in smaller communities like North Battleford and Swift Current.
In Saskatoon, protesters filed into Minister of Education Gord Wyant’s office to show their disdain for the current plan. They demanded change to the province’s back-to-school plan like mandating masks and reducing class sizes.
“I think the plan is a good plan,” Wyant said during a press conference in Saskatoon on Friday, noting the plan is fluid and can change.
“There’s a lot of room for movement. We relied on advice of the chief medical health officer, not only in review of the plans, but implementation of the plans.”
On Friday, the Saskatchewan Medical Association joined the public in criticizing the plan. The SMA says the government needs strong measures, like a mask mandate and stronger social distancing principles to ensure students are safe when they return to school.
“Saskatchewan doctors think it’s prudent to set the safety bar higher at the outset, then lower it when we know what we are dealing with,” said SMA president Dr. Barbara Konstantynowicz. “We simply don’t know how the virus will behave in a school setting. Then, as more information comes available, we can carefully roll back the restraints.”
On Thursday, SMA leaders met with the province’s chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab and senior officials within the ministries of health and education to discuss its concerns.
When the government of Saskatchewan released its Safe Schools Plans on Tuesday, there was no mask mandate or reduced class sizes.
“Mask use is proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said Konstantynowicz.
“The evidence is strong, and for that reason, the SMA has been advocating the use of reusable masks wherever social distancing is difficult to maintain. While masks on their own will not completely prevent the spread of the virus, we believe their use is a very good way to make schools safer places for children, youth, teachers and support staff.”
The Government of Saskatchewan said it has spent $2.3 million to purchase six million masks that will be delivered to school divisions before September.
When schools reopen in the fall it will be done so under Level 1, which indicates school will resume as normal as possible. There is no mask mandate under Level 1 or reduced class sizes.
Level 2 of Saskatchewan’s Safe Schools Plan could require a mask mandate, but on Tuesday, Wyant stated there’s no threshold to what would transition a school division from entering Level 2.
Under the current plan mask usage in Level 2 will be determined by the chief medical health officer, but the government on Friday stated it’s now considering a mandatory masking policy under Level 2 of the plan.
“The key for the Government of Saskatchewan, and the people of this province, is to make sure kids go to school in as safe as way possible, and as normal a way as possible,” Wyant said.
But parents say they need more from the province than returning their children to normal.
“I want to see change,” said Christine Freethy, who organized Saskatoon’s protest.
“I want to see thresholds when we move to each level. There has to be financed resources put into cleaning, Plexiglas, smaller classrooms. How is it that a classroom is allowed to exist when we’re supposed to be socially distant?”
-With files from Gabriela Panza-Beltrandi