The Ford government had an opportunity during the whole month of January to articulate a clear, evidence-based, and transparent framework for a safe return to in-class learning. They knew they needed a plan in order to avoid repeating the scenario that saw, as Premier Ford put it on January 7, “One in every five children under the age of 13, they’re testing positive.” They should have used this time to establish and communicate what would be required and when it would be safe to move students, education workers, and teachers back to in-person classroom environments. But this didn’t happen – and now we know why.
It’s not just that the Ford government has failed to deliver the kind of clear benchmarks that would give our students and parents a level of certainty and confidence. Or that they've failed to deliver an adequate plan that puts the health and safety of our students and education workers first. It’s that they've failed even to effectively implement their half-measures and shown a lack of ability to handle the complex problems our students and our province are facing.