A member of the Hastings Prince Edward Board of Health says he wants to clarify statements about giving education workers COVID-19 vaccine priority.
Quinte West Councillor Terry Cassidy points to the April 7 meeting when his motion to give higher priority to the education workers did not pass.
He notes that schools are once again going back to virtual learning next week and he says, “It is unfortunate education workers were not already vaccinated.”
Cassidy quotes Belleville Councillor Bill Sandison as calling the debate at the Board of Health “a waste of time” but notes that, on Monday at Belleville council, Sandison changed his tune and supported the idea.
In a release to the media Cassidy says, “The province has changed, as early as yesterday (Monday), its position on schools once again by going back to virtual learning next week. It is unfortunate education workers were not already vaccinated. That would have allowed schools to be open and safer for all, and for parents to go to work, and for children to have a more healthy learning environment. If trying to make this happen locally, sooner, is “grandstanding” as Councillor Sandison characterizes it, then so be it and I ask all of you to stand with me and Mike and Sean, because “the don’t rock the boat alternative” is not helpful.”
Following Monday’s council meeting, Belleville has now written to the province asking that teachers and manufacturing workers be given vaccine priority.
In his statement Cassidy notes:
At the meeting on April 7, which did have an open session, I requested a new business item be brought forward. Chair Joanne Albert agreed and I made a motion that was seconded by my colleague Michael Kotsovos to give a higher priority to education workers for vaccines. A real debate took place in which Councillor Sandison asked for a recorded vote and spoke against the motion. At the meeting Councillor Sandison called the debate “a waste of time”. I noted in the debate that another Board of Health, namely the Niagara Region, had actually done what I was asking our board to do. I also noted that in no way was this motion to be seen as being not supportive of the outstanding efforts to date of Dr. Oglaza and all of the staff during these difficult times, but rather that this motion was an effort to be proactive in preventing the spread of illness. Although the vote was lost (myself, Michael Kotsovos and Sean Kelly were in favour) much community response has occurred. Although I am not a big fan of social media, I did notice many citizens were not happy with this outcome. After the meeting Councillor Sandison called the meeting “out of order”, even though at the meeting the Chair permitted the motion and no one raised any “point of order” to challenge her decision. It was an important topic to discuss and the Chair’s decision allowed all of us to consider the request. This is, regardless of the “rules of order”, a healthy part of a democratic process.
