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home / 世界杯决赛2022

mask mandate debate at ottawa-carleton school board meeting disrupted by hecklers, police called to clear room

before the meeting was adjourned, trustees began to debate the complicated issue of exactly where a mask mandate would be in effect — school buses? after school dances? — and how it could be enforced

by jacquie miller
published nov 23, 2022
read time 5 minute read
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read time 5 minute read
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a meeting of the ottawa-carleton district school board tuesday evening ended without a vote on imposing mask rules after people who oppose such mandates disrupted it with heckling and police cleared attendees from the room. the debate on a motion to require face mask use among students and staff within ottawa’s largest school board continued virtually, following the disruptions, but was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. to resume another day. the board did not specify when that would be.
about 200 people attended the meeting in person, and most of them appeared to be opposed to the re-introduction of mask requirements at board schools.
the meeting began with delegations who spoke for or against the mask motion, occasionally facing cheers or heckles from the crowd, which prompted board chair lyra evans to warn that people would be asked to leave if they kept causing a ruckus.
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee and chair lyra evans.
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee and chair lyra evans. julie oliver / postmedia
but the disruptions continued. two breaks were called and several people were escorted out before  evans announced the in-person meeting was over and would resume virtually.
the scene was sometimes chaotic, with protesters milling about, chanting “freedom” and “shame” and singing o canada. a few protesters hollered at trustees, who at one point were gathered in the corner of the board room away from the crowd.
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one attendee plunked a cardboard box full of yellow envelopes on the boardroom table and yelled: “these are notices of liability. you are hereby served!”
police were called at one point and everyone was asked to leave the school board building.
before that happened, cheo’s chief of staff, lindy samson, who appeared virtually, was jeered at when she explained that evidence supports the effectiveness of wearing a mask to curb the transmission of respiratory viruses, which are now sending record numbers of children to hospital.
samson gave an overview of the situation at cheo, saying she has never seen so many children severely sick with respiratory viruses. it’s driven mostly by rsv (respiratory syncytial virus) and flu, but also covid-19.
the hospital’s icu was at 200 per cent capacity, in-patient beds were at 185 per cent capacity and monday night, the wait time to see a doctor at the emergency department was as long as 13 hours, she said. the hospital is postponing certain surgeries and procedures, including brain and heart surgeries.
the surge could last another four to six weeks, she said.
when the meeting resumed virtually, samson was asked how effective masks would be at the ottawa-carleton board if they are not required in other public places in the city.
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“every little bit helps,” said samson.
the province’s chief medical officer of health, dr. kieran moore, strongly recommends people wear a mask in indoor public places, including schools, but has not recommended they be required.
the province lifted the mask mandate for most public places last march.
university of ottawa epidemiologist raywat deonandan, who also appeared virtually, was met with boos from the crowd when he said a temporary mask mandate was the only solution to the “real and scary” crisis at cheo. “kids are going to die unless we slow this (down).”
parent wade shanley, who has three children, said trustees should consider the recent staff survey that suggested fewer than 10 per cent of children at the board’s schools currently wear masks. that is evidence that parents and kids don’t support a mask mandate, he said.
blake maguire, a parent of four, said he was “literally begging” trustees not to require masks, which he said harmed children. when masks went on, his kids suffered from anxiety and depression, he said.
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee dr. nili kaplan-myrth.
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee dr. nili kaplan-myrth. julie oliver / postmedia
trustee dr. nili kaplan-myrth, who proposed the masking motion, urged fellow trustees to “do something simple and effective right now to help keep children and educators healthier and safer.”
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she urged trustees to consider the weary parents sitting at the emergency department in cheo or desperately phoning their family doctors or pediatricians because their children are struggling to breathe, she said.
trustee donna blackburn, who opposes the mask mandate, asked why, if the situation is so dire, neither moore nor ottawa’s medical officer of health, dr. vera etches, have imposed mask mandates.
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee donna blackburn (centre).
ottawa-carleton district school board trustee donna blackburn (centre). julie oliver / postmedia
etches did not attend the board meeting, but she submitted a written report.
ottawa public health has “strongly recommended” people wear masks in indoor public places since late august, first due to covid, and now for the triple threat of rsv, flu and covid.
“the more people that wear high-quality masks in indoor settings, the greater the benefit,” stated the brief from etches.
at schools, oph says it’s key to “foster understanding that mask-wearing protects others and to make mask-wearing an easier option.” adults can lead by example, the report stated.
the “overwhelming majority” of healthy children can tolerate wearing a mask, especially if their peers are doing so, with “no evidence of physical, cognitive or objective mental health impact,” said the report.
the largest mental-health impacts on kids during the pandemic are probably caused by social isolation, school and community-based closures and restrictions, the report stated.
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however, the report said, some parents and some educators are concerned that requiring masks will have an “emotional toll” and create division in schools, and among friends and families.
in addition, the report questioned the idea of asking students and staff to get a medical mask exemption, saying it might put a burden both on families, some of whom don’t have a doctor or who have trouble getting an appointment, and on the health-care system.
before the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m., trustees began to debate the complicated issue of exactly where a mask mandate would be in effect — school buses? after school dances? — and how it could be enforced.
trustee lynn scott noted that the district already has a shortage of bus drivers, and requiring them to police student mask-wearing might make the matter worse.
the ottawa-carleton board’s mask policy shifted recently, based on advice from public health officials, from just encouraging to “strongly encouraging” masking at schools, which have been provided with signs, according to a board report.
a board spokesperson said masking was also “strongly encouraged” at public board meetings, but not required.
during tuesday’s meeting, four trustees — blackburn, jennifer jennekens, donna dickson and matthew lee — did not wear masks, while the remaining eight trustees were masked, as was the director of education.
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jmiller@postmedia.com

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