HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetters to Ministers-Student VaccinesOffice of the Chair of the Board
29 September 2021
The Honourable Christine Elliott
Minister of Health
777 Bay Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2J3
The Honourable Stephen Lecce
Minister of Education
438 University Ave, 5th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1N3
Dear Ministers Elliott and Lecce:
At its meeting on 28 September 2021, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board unanimously
approved the following recommendation:
THAT the Chair write a public letter to the Ministers of Education and Health to advocate
for an evaluation by provincial health authorities and experts as to the wisdom of adding
the COVID-19 vaccination to the list of compulsory vaccinations for all eligible students.
As government ministers, you have access not only to the expertise of provincial and local
public health authorities but also to the expertise of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory
Table to integrate and assess the best Canadian and global evidence on the safety and efficacy
of available COVID-19 vaccines.
All of us are aware of the effectiveness of mandatory vaccination programs against diseases
such as smallpox, measles, and polio. For the past 18 months, the impact of COVID-19 has
affected the safety and wellbeing of Ontario students and their families as well as their access to
education, to devastating effect. If a mandatory vaccination program for students would be a
safe and effective way to curtail the spread and severity of COVID-19 infections, please have
the approved COVID-19 vaccines evaluated with a view to adding COVID-19 to the current list
of compulsory vaccinations.
Sincerely,
Lynn Scott
Chair, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
cc: Cathy Abraham, President, OPSBA
W.R. (Rusty) Hick, Executive Director, OPSBA
T.J. Goertz, Senior Communications and Policy Officer, OPSBA
Trustees, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Senior Staff, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Corporate Records
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