NDP motion to cap class sizes critical for Sudbury after loss of schools under Liberals

SUDBURY — NDP MPPs France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) and Jamie West (Sudbury) said Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath’s motion today to cap all class sizes at no more than 15 is especially critical for Sudbury. That’s because the Wynne and Del Duca Liberals shuttered several of Sudbury’s schools while in government, taking away classrooms that could have been used to help space out students.

This week, SickKids reported that practicing physical distancing of two metres is not possible with more than 12 to 15 students in a typical classroom. Horwath’s motion would help protect students, teachers and education workers by making classes smaller and safer.

“Parents in Sudbury are worried about their kids’ safety as they head back to school on Doug Ford’s crowded busses and into Doug Ford’s crowded classrooms,” said West. “They know it won’t be possible for students and educators to stay two metres apart with 20, 25 or even 30 students in a classroom.

“But that’s exactly what Mr. Ford’s penny-pinching scheme does — it keeps classrooms jam-packed. And the Wynne and Del Duca Liberals have made it harder to create smaller, safer classes in Sudbury today because of their legacy of closing schools.”

Northern Ontario lost 71 schools on Kathleen Wynne and Steven Del Duca’s watch, including several Sudbury schools.

“Students and educators in Sudbury deserve so much better than shuttered schools and crowded classrooms,” said Gélinas. “That’s why we are urging the Ford government to support the NDP’s motion to cap all class sizes at no more than 15, so we can source more classroom spaces and make Sudbury’s classes smaller and safer without anymore delay.”