Educational assistant who died of COVID-19 mourned in Moose Jaw

Educators in Saskatchewan are mourning the loss of an educational assistant in Moose Jaw who died after contracting COVID-19.

"It's just a completely tragic loss," Patrick Maze, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, told Saskatoon Morning. 

Neither Maze nor the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) shared the name of the educational assistant, who was 49. The union said she worked at King George School, which is a part of the Prairie South School Division.

Maze says the woman was working with a student who required special supports and wasn't always able to wear a face mask. There is no information that the student was the source of the spread.

It was a tragic and unnecessary loss, Maze says.

Maze is calling on Saskatoon-area school divisions to move to online learning to protect their teachers and stop any others from being lost. 

"Special-needs students have a right to education, but employees have a right to a safe workspace as well," Maze said. "My heart goes out to the family."

In a statement to CBC News, the director of education for the Prairie South School Division, Tony Baldwin, said he does not have any information to share at this time. 

CUPE issued a statement Friday morning about the death, saying the union was "deeply saddened."

"Our thoughts are with her family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time."

The union says COVID-19 has taken an incredible toll on communities and urged people to follow all public health orders. 

Vaccination plan 

The educational assistant's death was also brought up during question period at the Saskatchewan Legislature on Friday. Education critic Carla Beck said the government's thank-yous to teachers and school staff won't bring back those lost to COVID-19. 

"The government failed to include teachers and school staff and their vaccine rollout. They failed those teachers. They failed those staff," Beck said during question period. 

"How many more teachers and how many more school staff does this education minister expect to get sick, hospitalized or die from COVID-19 because of his failure to keep them safe?"

Education Minister Dustin Duncan says they don't want one more educator to die. He says if the government had had the supply earlier, they would have prioritized teachers earlier. However, their low supply level would have meant vaccines weren't going to people who were at the most risk of dying from COVID-19: those over 60 years of age. 

Duncan says the province worked with school divisions to make them as safe as possible during the pandemic. 

"It is a tragedy, Mr. Speaker. My condolences to the co-workers and the family of this educational assistant," he said, adding  "we're working hard to make sure that everybody is safe, though."