UPDATE: Ottawa’s largest school board considering Monday closures due to protests

Ottawa's largest school board says it is exploring the possibility that classes may be cancelled on Monday, January 31 if protesters continue to flood the downtown area.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) says it is monitoring for possible disruptions caused by the ongoing trucker convoy protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. If those disruptions continue into the week, students may be affected, the OCDSB said on social media.

“The OCDSB continues to monitor the demonstrations and traffic disruptions taking place in Ottawa,” the school board tweeted on Sunday, January 30.

“If we feel these disruptions will prevent access to and the safe opening of schools for students and staff on Monday we will notify those affected.”

The OCDSB continues to monitor the demonstrations and traffic disruptions taking place in Ottawa. If we feel these disruptions will prevent access to and the safe opening of schools for students and staff on Monday we will notify those affected. https://t.co/LnkGNdczOk

— OCDSB (@OCDSB) January 30, 2022

Meanwhile the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) is also monitoring safety concerns and potential traffic impacts for their schools in the downtown area. 

In an emailed statement, the OCSB said it is working with Ottawa police to determine if it's safe for students to return to in-class learning on Monday.

“We will provide our staff and community with updates should there be any change to in-person learning tomorrow,” the OCSB told CityNews Ottawa on Sunday. “For now, all schools are scheduled to be open tomorrow, although there could be bus delays in the downtown sector.”

For the second straight day, Ottawa police have urged residents not to travel to the downtown core as protesters converge on Parliament Hill.

“For residents and businesses in the core, police are working to mitigate the impacts of the demonstration, such as gridlock and parked vehicles,” tweeted the Ottawa Police Service. “We thank residents and business owners for their patience.”

Streets in the downtown Ottawa core were closed due to gridlock Saturday afternoon once there was no more room for additional vehicles.

Do not travel to the downtown core. For residents and businesses in the core, police are working to mitigate the impacts of the demonstration, such as gridlock and parked vehicles. We thank residents and business owners for their patience. #ottawa #ottnews #otttraffic pic.twitter.com/jLYYyYOVrV

— Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) January 30, 2022