Alberta advocates fighting for stronger public health measures as children return to school amid what officials call a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections are taking their battle to the federal government.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and posted to Twitter on Tuesday, 24 voices called upon the federal government to step in where they claim the Alberta government is failing.
Read more: As Alberta schools wait for provincial COVID-19 guidance, some keep previous measures in place
“Despite clear evidence showing that ventilation, filtration, masks and other basic health measures can reduce transmission of (COVID-19) when used together, the Alberta government is unwilling to spend the money required to enact such measures,” the letter states.
The government has yet to announce what, if any, public health measures will be implemented in Alberta classrooms this fall, however, in July, Premier Jason Kenney assured parents students would be heading back in-person, and to “near-normal learning.”
Late last month, the UCP announced it was eliminating more public health measures over the coming weeks, including asymptomatic testing, contact tracing and the requirement that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to isolate.
Doctors, advocates, parents and other officials have expressed their concern over Alberta’s approach to easing restrictions, however, Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro have defended the government’s decision making and chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s advice.
Now, a coalition of those voices is asking the federal government to step in and give Alberta school boards $80 million to ensure proper ventilation in classrooms, air quality testing and masks are in place before the school year begins.
“Given the track record of the Alberta government in failing to pass along federal funding, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table, we implore the federal government to directly fund Alberta school boards to help make classrooms safer,” the letter reads.
The coalition, made up of doctors, union representatives, parent advocates and academics, says providing HEPA filters for K-6 classrooms — where children aren’t of age to be vaccinated — would cost approximately $65 million, providing masks for students in grades K-6 will cost $9.6 million and providing CO2 monitors for every classroom for real-time air quality testing would cost $6 million.
“Schools, already grappling with significant funding shortages and over-full classrooms where physical distancing is not possible, are unable to pay for the necessary upgrades,” the letter said.
The group went on to point out that “almost every expert in the country” has raised questions about Alberta’s plan forward, particularly as cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 continue to rise across the globe.
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“Our children will pay the price for this enormous gamble, and while they may not overwhelm the health-care system, they will face the consequences of increasing hospitalizations as well as the unknown long-term repercussions when COVID-19 runs rampant through an unvaccinated population.”
Read more: Alberta plan to remove COVID-19 measures is ‘risky gamble,’ fed health minister tells Shandro
On Monday, Kenney said the education and health ministries are working on the “critically important” plan for a safe return to school.
“Vaccines are not available to children under the age of the 12, but we also know that COVID-19 does not represent a greater threat for severe outcomes to younger children than the regular seasonal flu,” he said.
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“I know that Dr. Hinshaw and her team are understandably concerned of a resurgence of more conventional respiratory virus and diseases this autumn, including various kinds of flus and colds, and want to have the resources to address all of those challenges safely within the school system.”
In an emailed statement, Ministry of Education spokesperson Nicole Sparrow said “we are confident that all school authorities have been provided the supports they need to provide a safe, world-class education to their students.”
“We know that many parents and teachers have questions and an additional guidance document is being finalized and will be released in mid-August to support return to school. Alberta’s government will continue to follow the expert advice of Alberta’s chief medical officer of health,” she said.
Sparrow outlined that through the course of the pandemic, the government made $1 billion available to Alberta school boards, including a $120-million operating fund boost, $10 million for PPE and $262 million which came from the federal government. She added the government also gave schools $250 million in maintenance spending for mechanical upgrades, of which $44 million was used for HVAC and ventilation.
“While the letter falsely claims that Alberta’s government withheld federal supports for school divisions during the pandemic, every dollar of funding received through the Safe Return to Class Fund was immediately allocated to school authorities once it was is received from the federal government,” Sparrow said.
When asked if directly giving Alberta school boards money was something the federal government would consider, press secretary for the federal Department of Intergovernmental Affairs Jean-Sebastien Comeau said the Liberals have already given money to provinces and territories to help with the costs of keeping classrooms safe.
“The (Safe Return to Class) Fund helped provinces and territories work alongside school boards to meet the needs of their students and staff by providing funds to support adapted learning spaces, improved air ventilation, increased hand sanitation and hygiene and purchases of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies,” Comeau said.
“Provinces and territories had the flexibility to spend funding according to their priorities.”
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