View From the Legislature

As of Tuesday of this week there were 103 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba and the province had record one death as a result of the virus. Efforts continue to reduce the spread of the virus to avoid what has been seen in other jurisdictions when too many cases overwhelm the ability of the healthcare system to adequately treat those who need medical care for any reason.

Earlier this week, following advice from Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, the decision was made to indefinitely suspend classes at Manitoba’s K-12 schools. Our hope had been that students would be able to return to school after April 13th. However, the closure of schools will have to be extended.

This school year has not been officially cancelled and if we are advised by health officials that classes can resume prior to the end of June, we will eagerly welcome back students to complete the year in class. However, until that time, the safety of students is our paramount concern and learning will continue at home as teachers work to ensure course content can continue to be delivered in the best way possible.

While this is by no means an ideal situation, teachers, staff, administrators and parents are undertaking best efforts to keep our students learning during this time. There have been many innovative and extraordinary measures taken to ensure this continues and I am sure that for however long the suspension lasts those efforts will continue.

We want to ensure students and parents that students will not be held back as a result of COVID-19. The grade that students had achieved at the time of the suspension of classes is their baseline grade and it can be improved upon with their continued learning efforts for the balance of the school year. Those who are in Grade 12 and were on track to graduate this year will graduate and will be expected to continue their learning through the remainder of the school year.

There will be additional announcements regarding online resources particularly for those in High School. We recognize that there will, in a new school year in the fall, be some need to help students, particularly younger students, catch up on their learning. Planning has already begun on the ability to provide supplementary learning opportunities to those students who will need that support.

I appreciate that for those in Grade 12, this is not how they imagined their graduation year would go. They have worked for many years in anticipation of their graduation. And while we continue to hope that efforts to reduce the spread of the virus will allow some plans to proceed, our priority needs to be the health of our students and their families. We know that those students graduating this year will achieve amazing things throughout their life and we want to ensure they can achieve those goals and that their loved ones can be there to celebrate each of those milestones.

I would again encourage all Manitobans to regularly check the Government of Manitoba website to get the most recent information on the situation on Covid19 here in Manitoba. There are a number of resources at that site including a link to a website that allows you to seek assistance or give assistance to another Manitoban. That website is HelpNextDoorMB.ca.

Please take care of yourselves and ensure that you are taking steps to strengthen your mental and physical health. We will get through this together.