As provinces continue to push toward living with COVID-19, teachers and staff in Ontario are raising concerns over the rise in absentees in schools across Ontario amid a sixth wave.
Schools in Waterloo, Ottawa and London have all recently reported an increase in absences among students and teachers. Patrick Etmanski, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, said one school in Kitchener experienced 13 staff absences in a single day.
He says it鈥檚 particularly concerning for students who are unable to access the assistance they usually get in school.
鈥淪pecial education kids are not getting the special ed support they need," he said.
Two schools in London were forced to close on Friday and switch to online learning due to staffing issues. Thames Valley District School Board director Jeff Pratt said at least 400 staff absences have been reported a day.
鈥淲e can't link it directly to COVID-19, but certainly that is a part of what is driving these absences,鈥 Pratt said.
This week alone 36 schools in Ottawa reported at least 20 per cent of staff and students as absent, including reasons not related to COVID-19.
The province continues to and the percentage of absences have reached up to 30 per cent and over in some schools.
Peter Juni, the head of Ontario鈥檚 science table, said this week the province is likely seeing , a stark contrast from the actual daily reporting of cases which have ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 in recent days.
Juni says wastewater collection data was able to determine this high infection rate and roughly five per cent of the province鈥檚 population likely have active cases of COVID-19.
Though health measures such as the use of face masks have been lifted across the country, health experts continue to advocate for precaution as the sixth wave steadily increases.
"I think there will be an appropriate time and place to lift mask mandates, it's just not now,鈥 said infectious disease expert Isaac Bogoch.
Canada鈥檚 top doctor reminded Canadians to self-reflect on their choices as a way to reduce risk in catching the virus.
"Think about who you're with and maybe they're at higher risk 鈥 so, having that consideration for others,鈥 said Dr. Theresa Tam in regards to face masks now being a personal choice.
With files from The Canadian Press and 麻豆影视 Toronto.
The people of Fort Chipewyan believe the federal government believe the federal government knew its water was contaminated and hid the issue for years. Now the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is leading the call for immediate action.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched up to 227 on Saturday as the grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the Southeast and killed people in six states.
A driver suffered only minor injuries after going airborne in a residential neighbourhood in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Friday, the car eventually landing on its roof in someone鈥檚 backyard.
Donald Trump returned on Saturday to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, holding a sprawling rally with thousands of supporters in a critical swing state Trump hopes to return to his column in November's election.
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Powerful new explosions rocked Beirut's southern suburbs late Saturday as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Donald Trump returned on Saturday to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, holding a sprawling rally with thousands of supporters in a critical swing state Trump hopes to return to his column in November's election.
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A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
French authorities said four migrants, including a two-year-old child, died Saturday in two separate incidents as they attempted to cross the English Channel toward Britain.
A rural Colorado county courthouse beefed up security Friday after threats were made against staff and a judge who sentenced former county clerk Tina Peters to nearly nine years behind bars for her role in a data breach scheme catalyzed by the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly reiterated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East on Saturday as he blamed Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel for a staggering number of civilian deaths.
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Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
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Hollywood star Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday in an event in which 'The Matrix' star spun out at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Vanderbilt takes down AP poll No. 1 Alabama 40-35 in historic college football victory.
Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
Argentine star Lionel Messi was on the bench to start Inter Miami CF's game in Toronto on Saturday.
Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.
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While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.
Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.
A person was airlifted to hospital following a serious crash in Taber, Alta., on Friday morning. Taber RCMP responded to the scene on Highway 864 around 10:30 a.m., for a crash involving an SUV and a semi-truck.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians has presented awards to 750 doctors based on comments from patients, including eight physicians who are part of the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Two teens, ages 14 and 19, have been charged with arson in connection with a July 14 fire in Cat Lake First Nation that destroyed $500,000 in construction materials.
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
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A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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