Parents protest against Ontario school’s move to keep masks on

As students in Canada's most populous province return to mask-free classes after two years on Monday, one Ontario school board is facing backlash for defying the province's decision to drop masks, potentially setting the stage for a clash on a contentious pandemic issue.

The mask mandate and other pandemic measures have become a lightning rod in Canada for an anti-government movement, sparking a three-week protest in capital Ottawa last month.

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) voted against removing the mask mandate and proposed keeping students and teachers masked until April 15 to protect the medically vulnerable.

Ontario's remaining 30 public school boards are planning to follow the government order after Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore turned down requests from several other school boards to keep mask mandates.

Some Hamilton parents have criticized the board's decision, saying the policy is "pointless" and "potentially unlawful."

HWDSB is home to some 50,000 students.

"My kids will not be wearing masks and they will be told to have the school call me if the school tries to force them to wear a mask," said Alyssa Vankleek, a Hamilton parent.

"My child was told by the provincial government it was safe to no longer wear a mask in most settings. The school board has no right to tell us otherwise," she added.

However, Dr Armand Keating, clinician scientist and staff hematologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, pointed out that "the increasing frequency of cases of the more transmissible BA.2 variant lends further support for a more cautious approach".

HWDSB will find it challenging to enforce masking requirements once the mandate is lifted as Ontario schools do not have their own mask policies.

Prohibiting a maskless student from attending school could be deemed a breach of the child's rights, according to the Ontario Education Act and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.