Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Province of BC declares Suspension of in class K-12 instruction, Premier Horgan updates province on other COVID-19 measures

Premier Horgan, Education Minister Dix and Finance Minister
Carole James spoke to the province today with an update on plans for
education and response measures for the COIVD-19 situation

British Columbian's K-12 education system is the latest element of the provincial COVID-19 response program to see a suspension, with Education Rob Fleming calling for a shift to the way that the remainder of the school year will go today.

The announcement was made as part of an appearance by Premier John Horgan and Finance Minister Carole James who joined Rob Fleming to update the Province on the latest developments.

On Education the Minister outlined the following steps:

All Schools will immediately suspend all in class instruction until Further Notice

Schools and School Districts will begin planning way to ensure a continuity of learning while the In class instruction is suspended indefinitely

Schools are expected to have some plans in place to maintain some level of service for those who are are on the front lines responding to the COVID-19 situation

The Province will continue to be in contact with School Districts to work on continuity of learning

Every student will receive a final mark, all students on track to move to the next grade will do so.

For Grades 10 and 11 students graduation assessments will be postponed

Every Student eligible to Graduate from Grade 12 this year will graduate, with the only requirement that of numeracy

The Ministry will also work with Post Secondary Institutions towards transitions for next year

The province and schools will look to work together for those students who are vulnerable and have unique needs and those issues will be addressed

"We don't have all the answers today, we are in a fast  moving situation As COVID-19 evolves we must work together to meet the needs of students and school communities" -- Education Minister Rob Fleming

Letter for parents, guardians and staff from the Ministry can be reviewed here.



Mr. Horgan and Ms. James addressed a range of themes on some of the other concerns of British Columbians when it comes to protecting workers and businesses, noting how those actions are a framework, which will work together with any federal moves that will be announced.

"All of us are in this together ... we have a cross government approach to this, we have a cross province approach to dealing with stakeholders, in every corner of the province,  every sector is going to be impacted by this. 

We're going to need a plan, we're working on that been working that we have been for weeks now. The opportunity to flesh that out is just a day or two away, as we await final decisions by the Federal Government.

This is a crisis situation, there is no making that sound any better ...  We are going to do everything in our power to make sure that your employment is maintained, your salaries are maintained" -- Premier John Horgan at a Tuesday morning briefing

Minister James reinforced the message of "we're all in this together", highlighting the fact that the situation is always evolving and with it will be the response of the Finance Ministry, noting that there will be an impact on the economic of the province.

She stated that the Government has the back of it residents and outlined  the three streams that the province will be following in the immediate period of time:

Make sure that we have services and supports in place to protect the health and safety of British Columbians

Work with the Federal Government and their initiatives to bring in immediate relief for people and businesses

Building BC's plan for economic recovery in collaboration with the business community

As both the Premier and Finance Minister noted, more plans will be developed in concert with the moves of the Federal government.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, the string of statements that came quickly at the end of the week can be reviewed here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints

For items of interest from Northern Health see our archive page here.



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