'Between staying safe and getting an education': McGill COVID-19 protocols denounced by students, administrator
“A lack of distancing in classrooms, faculty removing masks, no testing, no vaccine mandate and ignoring calls from students and faculty experts do not represent my beliefs as an administrator.”
These are the words of Nathan C. Hall, an associate dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies at McGill University, who took to Twitter Saturday to express his dissatisfaction with the university’s COVID regulations.
"I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. Integrity, transparency and immediacy in communication [are] critical to leadership," he wrote.
He used the hashtag #McGill200, which was originally created by the university to celebrate its bicentennial.
It has since been co-opted by numerous students — and in this case, faculty — to protest the school’s COVID safety protocols.
The protocols in question were outlined in August.
According to McGill spokesperson Cynthia Lee, these include “the exclusion of symptomatic individuals, procedural mask requirements, distancing in non-classroom environments, contact tracing, optimizing ventilation and other means.”
Most classes will be in person and social distancing will not be required; although masks will be mandatory for students, professors will have the option to remove them.
Many students are concerned that these regulations aren't stringent enough.
On Sept. 1 — the first day of classes — students and members of the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU) gathered outside in protest of the university's safety plan.
One of those students was Emily Black.
"It's terrifying, honestly, and it sucks that I have to pick between staying safe and getting an education that I've paid for," she said.
Black is immunocompromised, meaning she is at a higher risk of serious health issues if she contracts COVID-19.
Uneasy about returning to in-person classes, she says she approached the administration to voice her concerns. She alleges the university recommended she take a leave of absence.
"Their answer just seems to be to drop out. And for myself, I am on financial aid and if I take a year off I'll lose my funding and likely not be able to come back to school," she said.
However, not all students are apprehensive about the situation.
CTV News spoke to another McGill student on campus who said he was relieved to have any restrictions in place at all.
"I'm from Connecticut [...] and I think McGill's protocols are safer than the protocols in the States," he said.
On Tuesday, McGill announced that 85 per cent of its student population is fully vaccinated.
"But they haven't been able to say where they've got that from. They're still maintaining that it's illegal to ask for vaccine status and so we're saying, 'what's going on here?'" said Claire Downie, vice-president of student affairs at the SSMU and an organizer behind the Sept. 1 protest.
On Twitter, McGill says it received its vaccination data from the Quebec health ministry, but did not clarify whether international students were factored into the equation or if the statistic applied to Quebec university students in general or McGill students in particular.
"At this point in time, our view is that unless the government mandates vaccination, in the Quebec context we cannot legally require it," Lee said.
Currently, 67 per cent of Quebecers aged 18 to 24 are fully vaccinated.
Nathan C. Hall declined CTV News' request for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.