Premier Doug Ford is set to make an announcement in Orillia on Thursday afternoon.
Ford will be joined by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, MPP for Simcoe North Jill Dunlop and OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.
The premier is expected to face more questions on back-to-school plans which have not been solidified in many boards across the province, with less three weeks left until school is scheduled to start on Sept. 8.
The Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) finance committee is meeting Thursday afternoon to consider three separate proposals on how to ensure smaller class sizes to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
All of the proposals would include redeploying 400 employees to help support smaller class sizes and spending millions on hiring new teachers, but the total investment will depend on which plan the committee chooses.
The meeting comes a week after the provincial government turned down the TDSB’s plan to use a “quadmester” format in high schools and to end elementary school days 48 minutes earlier to allow for smaller class sizes.
On Wednesday, Ford said he is weary about the TDSB’s intention to make masks mandatory for all students.
The TDSB approved a motion on Tuesday asking Director of Education Carlene Jackson to implement a mandatory mask requirement for “all students, staff, and visitors where two metres of social distancing cannot be maintained.”
The Ford government has recommended that only staff and students in Grade 4 and up wear face coverings based on the advice from experts at SickKids hospital.
Today’s news conference is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
