Parents must now be present for COVID-19 vaccinations in Sask. elementary schools
Parents will now have to be present for the COVID-19 vaccination of elementary school students in schools, according to a new policy change from the Government of Saskatchewan.
Parental consent forms were previously considered adequate for elementary students beyond grade four.
“Opposed to other vaccines, this one has a lot of misinformation around it,” Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman said.
“We want to make sure that that child is getting that vaccine and the parent is comfortable. We don’t ever want to give the perception that we are giving COVID-19 vaccines behind parent’s backs. That’s why we are asking them to be there up front.”
NDP leader Ryan Meili said treating this vaccine differently than others sends the wrong message.
“But this is what you get. We have an education minister right now who refuses to say that every kid should get vaccinated, refuses to promote vaccination for kids,” Meili said.
The NDP fear that requiring parents to attend school for their children’s vaccine will result in fewer children participating. The health minister hopes not and expects it might even encourage some parents to get vaccinated while they’re there.
Kelly Basaraba is a Prince Albert Parent who believes parents should be present in schools when their children get vaccinated.
“Yes, I think it’s a very good idea that parents should be with their children while they’re getting the needle. They’re not old enough to decide and be there by themselves," she said.
The last-minute policy change saw parents at Vickers School in Prince Albert informed with just a day’s notice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.