Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario lifts stay-at-home order in 27 regions as economic reopening continues; Winter weather disrupts the reopening of schools in three COVID-19 hot spots – Toronto Star
5:43 a.m.: A stay-at-home order lifts for 27 Ontario public health units Tuesday
5:41 a.m.: In-person classes will resume today at schools in three Ontario COVID-19 hot spots
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
11:33 a.m.: Today is the deadline for written submissions from the public to the commission examining the devastating impact of COVID-19 on long-term care homes.
Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission says anything sent by the public after today may not be considered for its final report.
That report is due April 30 and the commission still has a few more video hearings.
The commission had requested an extension to investigate the pandemic’s second wave further and to get crucial information the province.
Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton denied the request.
More than 3,700 residents of nursing homes have died due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began last year.
11:15 a.m.: Quebec is reporting 669 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including six in the past 24 hours.
Health officials said today hospitalizations dropped by 33, to 771, and 134 people were in intensive care, a decline of two.
The province says it administered 2,732 doses of vaccine yesterday, for a total of 297,694.
Quebec has reported a total of 278,187 COVID-19 infections and 10,246 deaths linked to the pandemic. The province has 9,399 active reported infections.
10:50 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s been reassured again by the president of the European Commission that export controls imposed by the EU won’t affect shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to Canada.
He says he spoke to Ursula von der Leyen this morning.
Canada is expecting its biggest single shipment of vaccine doses from Pfizer-BioNTech this week, and a bigger one next week.
All of Canada’s doses of that vaccine come from a factory in Belgium. Trudeau also said he spoke to Moderna chair Noubar Afeyan Monday to get reassurance about that company’s deliveries. Moderna is to ship two million doses by the end of March is only at about half a million doses shipped to date. Trudeau said Afeyan said the company will meet its contract for two million in the first quarter.
10:43 a.m.: Ontario is reporting three more COVID-19 deaths among residents in long-term-care homes for a total of 3,717 since the pandemic began.
There are 170 long-term-care homes in an outbreak (no change from the previous report), or about 27.2 per cent of all LTC homes in the province.
10:35 a.m.: Ontario is also reporting 5,053 more vaccinations on Tuesday and 7,698 on Monday since its last daily update for a total of 480,377 as of 8 p.m. Monday.
There are 186,934 people who are fully vaccinated, meaning they have had both shots.
10:15 a.m. (updated): Ontario is reporting 904 COVID-19 cases today and 964 cases on holiday Monday.
There were 13 more deaths reported today, and 13 the previous day.
The seven-day average is down to 1,035 cases daily or 50 weekly per 100,000, and down to 23.4 deaths/day.
The labs report 57,360 completed tests over two days with a positivity rate of 3.3 and 3.6 per cent.
Today, there are 320 new cases in Toronto, 154 in Peel and 118 in York Region.
10:05 a.m. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is appealing to the official Opposition Conservatives to hasten passage of a COVID-19 relief bill through the House of Commons.
The appeal is in a letter from Freeland to Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole in which the deputy prime minister says the Tories are dragging their feet on the proposed legislation for no good reason.
Freeland goes on to say the bill should not be “a political football,” and asks O’Toole to support its passage to help Canadians struggling during the pandemic.
The Liberal government introduced the proposed legislation at the beginning of December, to enact spending measures proposed in their fall economic statement.
That includes billions of dollars in new pandemic-related aid to top up and expand existing programs as well as new, targeted support for hard-hit industries.
More than two months later, partly thanks to a six-week Christmas break in Parliament, the bill has made little progress through the legislative process.
9:35 a.m. The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in January hit a new record high for the month as prices also set a new high water mark.
The association says January sales were up 35.2 per cent compared with a year earlier.
Sales for the first month of the year were also up 2.0 per cent compared with December.
The increase came as the national sales-to-new listings ratio rose to 90.7 per cent – the highest level on record. The previous monthly record was 81.5 per cent set 19 years ago.
The actual national average price of a home sold in January was a record $621,525, up 22.8 per cent from the same month last year.
CREA says excluding Greater Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, two of the country’s most active and expensive markets, cuts $129,000 from the national average price.
9:20 a.m. The European Commission says it expects Moderna to make up a shortfall in deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine by next month.
EU Commission spokeswoman Vivian Loonella told reporters that Moderna told E.U. authorities about delays in vaccine deliveries for this month, but that “it’s likely” the U.S. company “will be caught up in March.”
Spanish media reported on Tuesday that Spain will be receiving just under half of the 400,000 Moderna doses it was expecting this week. The Spanish Health Ministry told the AP that a similar reduction has been announced across Europe.
World Health Organization experts recommend that the two doses of the Moderna vaccine be taken 28 days apart, but say that giving the second shot can be extended to 42 days.
Delivery delays have considerably slowed down the rollout of vaccines in the 27-nation bloc and sparked criticism against the EU’s vaccine strategy in several member states.
The EU commission has signed six contracts for more than 2 billion doses of various coronavirus vaccines, but only three of them have been approved for use so far.
9 a.m. As Ontario MPPs return to Queen’s Park after the winter break, they can expect a subdued session — at least at first.
Government house leader Paul Calandra, who met last week with his counterparts in the opposition parties, said the proceedings that begin Tuesday after a two-month recess should be low-key and methodical due to the new and more contagious COVID-19 variants.
“It’s going to be a deliberately slow start, a leaner schedule, to ensure all the (pandemic safety) protocols are in place,” Calandra said in an interview.
By order of Speaker Ted Arnott, masks are mandatory throughout Queen’s Park, including on the floor of the chamber.
8:44 a.m. Earlier this year, the Marlboro man announced he was making a comeback.
Well, to be clear, Altria Group Inc., which makes Marlboros, released the news that the trend of declining cigarette sales, which it has experienced for decades, has come to an end, likely due to COVID-19.
On the face of it, this is unsurprising news, given that we’ve all heard that people are consuming more cannabis and drinking more alcohol to cope with boredom, stress and loneliness with their drug of choice.
“I don’t have empirical data,” says Natacha Duke, a registered psychotherapist with Cleveland Clinic Canada and Bhatia Psychology Group. “But I can say from my clinical experience that smoking has increased, the same way that alcohol use and problematic eating behaviour has increased during the pandemic, as well as other types of habits that might not be best for our health.
8:30 a.m. Winter weather disrupted the reopening of schools in three Ontario COVID-19 hot spots where in-person classes were set to resume Tuesday, with some students forced to rely on virtual classes a little longer.
Public and Catholic school boards in Peel and York Regions said their schools remained closed and bus service was cancelled Tuesday due to poor weather, though classes continued virtually.
“Parents Do NOT send your child to school today,” the York public board said in a tweet.
The Toronto District and Toronto Catholic District school boards, meanwhile, said schools were reopening as planned, but no transportation would be provided as a result of the snowfall.
“As more than 93 per cent of TDSB students who are currently attending in-person school do not use a school bus, schools will remain open,” the public board said on Twitter.
In-person lessons were slated to restart in those regions after a stretch of online learning that began in January as part of a provincial lockdown.
The three regions are the last in Ontario to have students return to physical classrooms — the provincial government allowed other regions to reopen shuttered schools in phases over the last few weeks. A more detailed COVID-19 screening form must now be filled out by students or their guardians every day before coming to school.
Students in Grade 1 and above will also be required to follow provincial health guidelines and wear a mask whenever they’re indoors and during outdoor recess when physical distancing is not possible.
The province is also expanding asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at schools.
Snowfall also caused some school boards in the Toronto and Hamilton areas to call off both virtual and in-person classes Tuesday.
8:25 a.m. France’s entire rugby squad was isolating on Tuesday after an unnamed member of the team’s backroom staff tested positive for the coronavirus.
All players in camp at France’s training centre in Marcoussis have tested negative for COVID-19, the French Rugby Federation said, but head coach Fabien Galthie was being retested Tuesday following what it described as a “suspicious and unproven case.”
Further tests will be carried out at Marcoussis on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
France’s next game in the tournament is against Scotland on Feb. 28. Les Tricolores have opened with two straight wins, over Italy and Ireland.
The squad for the game against Scotland will be announced on Wednesday.
7:55 a.m. A number of GTA school boards closed schools and cancelled buses early Tuesday morning as a winter storm blanketed the region in snow.
Toronto District and Toronto Catholic District School Boards announced that schools will remain open for in-person and virtual classes, but buses will not run due to inclement weather conditions.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic, Peel District, York Regional District, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic and York Regional Catholic District School Boards cancelled all in-person classes — which were slated to reopen Tuesday after a lengthy closure due to COVID-19 — but said virtual learning will continue.
7:42 a.m. Construction workers say that many work sites in Toronto deemed essential during the stay-at-home order are rife with COVID-19 rule violations, including people working in confined spaces while not wearing face masks.
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However, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour and other industry groups see things differently, saying they have been impressed with most employers’ oversight during the pandemic and that the government has been aggressive with ensuring compliance.
The Star spoke to several construction workers from some of Toronto’s biggest sites, who all told similar stories: widespread disdain for masks, a lack of enforcement from supervisors regarding mask-wearing and other COVID-19 precautions, a lack of access to clean washrooms and little to no hot water for handwashing.
Many of the workers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing their employment.
7 a.m. Exhausted after 10 months of caring for the elderly and sick, Veleta Davis will never forget the moment the needle filled with COVID-19 vaccine pricked her arm: “I felt ready to conquer the world.”
Davis, 51, received her first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine on Dec. 15 as a personal support worker at Castleview Wychwood Towers Long-Term Care residence. “I felt I was part of a movement to make a difference,” she said.
But when she returned to her family, nothing changed. She didn’t kiss her children, hug her sister or hold her two nieces. She didn’t visit her parents. As she had done throughout the pandemic to protect her family from the risks of her work, she sanitized her hands and put on her mask. Then she braced herself for a difficult conversation.
5:46 a.m.: New Zealand reported no new virus cases in the community for a second day, raising hopes a lockdown in Auckland will be lifted Wednesday.
The three-day lockdown of New Zealand’s largest city was the nation’s first in six months.
Lawmakers say their final decision on whether to lift the lockdown will depend on any new information or cases that crop up over the next day.
The lockdown was prompted by the diagnoses of three family members, but how they got it remains a mystery.
The mother in the family works at a catering company that does laundry for airlines, and a possible link to infected passengers is being investigated. So far, other people at her workplace have tested negative, officials said.
Health officials have ramped up testing, administering more than 15,000 tests on Monday and processing the results of nearly 6,000.
5:44 a.m.: Australia’s regulator on Tuesday approved the AstraZeneca vaccine as its second for use against COVID-19.
Pfizer’s product will be available in Australia next week. It will be given in two doses three weeks apart, while AstraZeneca’s will be administered in two doses 12 weeks apart.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the regulator, found the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and effective.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the AstraZeneca vaccine will prevent serious COVID-19 illness.
Morrison will be vaccinated with the Pfizer product and Hunt with AstraZeneca in a demonstration of confidence in both vaccines.
Australia has contracted 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 50 million of those will be manufactured in Australia.
The government has also secured 20 million Pfizer vaccines for a population of 26 million.
5:44 a.m.: A stay-at-home order lifts for 27 Ontario public health units today.
The units will now return to the province’s COVID-19 colour-coded tiered ranking system used prior to a provincewide lockdown which began on Boxing Day.
Niagara Region will be the only region in the grey-lockdown zone — the most strict level — which allows businesses to open at 25 per cent capacity.
The rest of the regions, most of them outside the Greater Toronto Area, fall elsewhere along the scale that moves from red — the second-most strict level — through green, with lighter restrictions on businesses and gatherings at each stage.
Toronto, Peel Region, York Region and North Bay Parry Sound are set to remain under the stay-at-home order until at least Feb. 22.
Three health units — Hastings Prince Edward; Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington; and Renfrew County — returned to the green zone of the framework last week.
5:42 a.m.: Fresh air, blazing speed and spacious alpine terrain makes skiing and snowboarding low-risk activities for COVID-19 transmission, infectious disease doctors say.
But the threat is never zero during a global pandemic, they add. And people working those snowy slopes may be at greater risk of catching the virus than those dashing down them.
Most ski hills in Ontario were permitted to reopen Tuesday, joining other mountainous resorts across the country that have remained operational through the winter. Many have implemented extra safety precautions and operate under local restrictions, including asking patrons to wear face coverings on lifts, cancelling classes and limiting access to indoor spaces.
While the activity of skiing is relatively safe from a transmission standpoint, experts say spread can still happen, and COVID outbreaks have been reported at larger resorts over the last couple months, mostly affecting staff members.
5:42 a.m.: There is new guidance from Canada’s national advisory committee on immunization that says adults from racialized communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic should be prioritized for shots in the second stage of the vaccination campaign.
Essential workers who can’t do their jobs from home moved into the second stage, instead of focusing on health workers with lower-risk jobs, under the advice given Monday.
The second stage is expected to start this spring after the provinces vaccinate all staff and residents at long-term care homes, adults aged 70 or older, front-line health workers and adults in Indigenous communities.
The list of groups that should receive COVID-19 vaccines in the second stage includes people between 60 and 69 years old, racialized adults from groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19, essential workers, first responders, caregivers and residents and staff of congregate living sittings including homeless shelters, prisons and migrant workers’ quarters.
The committee added a third stage to its immunization recommendations that includes people between 16 and 59 years old with underlying conditions, those who are between 50 and 59 years old with no underlying conditions, and health workers and essential workers who are didn’t got shots in previous rounds.
The new recommendations prioritize racialized adults from groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic ahead of some older non-racialized people.
Health authorities in the provinces and the territories decide who gets vaccinated first.
5:40 a.m.: The vast majority of Canadians blame Ottawa rather than provincial governments for delays in COVID-19 vaccine delivery, a new poll suggests.
Sixty-nine per cent of respondents believe Canada is behind on deliveries due to federal challenges obtaining doses on the global market, according to an online survey by Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies.
Only 14 per cent of respondents point the finger at provincial governments.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says all Canadians who want a dose will get one by the end of September, despite recent hiccups in the production of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Residents remain divided on whether they will be able to roll up their sleeves before October, with 44 per cent confident they will and 51 per cent skeptical.
The split suggests Canadians maintain a measure of faith in the Liberal government’s procurement efforts, said Léger executive vice-president Christian Bourque.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday Feb. 16, 2021.
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 1,704 new vaccinations administered for a total of 1,272,470 doses given. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 3,357.505 per 100,000.
There were no new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 1,439,800 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 88.38 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday Feb. 16, 2021.
There are 826,924 confirmed cases in Canada (35,684 active, 769,929 resolved, 21,311 deaths).The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 1,139 new cases Monday. The rate of active cases is 93.89 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 18,804 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 2,686.
There were 19 new reported deaths Monday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 476 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 68. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.18 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 56.07 per 100,000 people.
Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting
Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.
In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.
“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.
There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.
Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.
Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.
In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.
Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.
New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.
The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.
Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.
Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.
“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”
McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.
But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.
The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.
He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.
“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.
“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.
McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”
McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.
He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.
“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
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