My daughter has developed a severe allergy to the mask and has been unsuccessfully treated by 2 doctors. The allergy will not go away unless she stops using the mask. She has been granted an exemption by one of the doctors, but unfortunately she does not want to use the exemption because she's afraid her friends will not play with her. These masks have to go now.

As a teacher and parent I see how this has impacted the students and their ability to freedom of movement and fresh air. The lack of seeing a smile on someone’s face or laughter in the air is eliminated from the classroom setting and even the outdoor field for that matter - where it is still mandatory in some schools. For the mental health and well-being of our children please remove these mask mandates.

An 8 year old child with depression who hates school because of masks, who acts out daily because of masks and who wants to "move to a better country" are things a child should not be feeling or saying! This needs to stop already! Please I'm begging you for the future of my children make it brighter not darker.

Masks are harmful especially when your child suffers from asthma and anxiety. My child has been discriminated against at her school by her fellow classmates, teachers and other staff when she takes it off regardless of her mask exemption. We will be pulling her out this school next year.

One of my kids has a learning disability and has been massively affected - anxiety is high and learning gap is widening. Please unmask our kids!!!!!

My daughter has asthma and ever since mask wearing began I have had to increase her use of corticosteroids inhalers so that she can keep her attacks under control.

My son has been wearing masks since he started kindergarten. Not once has he been able to experience life as a normal child in school. He never wears them in any other indoor place. I demand this mandate be taken away. Doctors all over the world are saying they don't need them! I want my child to be free! He comes home with snot and a wet mask every single day. This is doing more harm and no good.

My grandson has had asthma since he was 2 years old. He started growing out of it, not needing his puffers as frequently. Then the masks were enforced. I was crushed when he told me he has to wear it all day. His asthma is now worse. I also have twin granddaughters attending a Catholic School in Ottawa. Too many kids and parents of kids tell me they don't understand how it's supposed to be keeping them healthy when they're constantly touching it, getting it dirty all day and breathing in who knows what. What is evident to me is the sadness in their eyes.

My 3 children have suffered enough from wearing masks that don’t work given how small the virus is. They developed anxiety, heart arrhythmia, nose bleeds and more. It’s time to end this and stop masking our children.

My child has gotten sick with respiratory viruses at the usual rate, including catching COVID-19 at school even though masks have been worn. Kids are at very low risk of severe disease and masks are not working to prevent transmission. Also, daycares have operated without masks on children from the beginning of the pandemic. I feel strongly that any potential unlikely benefit is not worth the mounting harms.

I’ve seen the impact of masking on my kids’ social and emotional health. They’re being taught that simple things like talking to a friend or playing up close are dangerous activities. It’s absurdly disproportionate to the risk at hand, and ethically questionable at best. Enough is enough.

My son has asthma and the school will not respect his mask exemption, for which a note was provided by his doctor. Although he is permitted to pull the mask down when he’s short of breath, he is reprimanded by the teaching staff when he does.

My children had Covid. Why are they still masked? Masks have helped foster a sense of insecurity in my daughter that I know will take years to reverse. The kids were never in danger. Do not use my children as your shield.

This has impacted my kids because they are not learning how to socialize properly by separating them in class and recess. My daughter feels like she has no friends because they aren't allowed to interact properly. I am concerned about their future health and the harms this will cause mentally and emotionally. I am also concerned for the health risk of her lungs and being able to fight off simple germs that our bodies before all this were able to fight off. It is proven that kids who are exposed to more germs and microbes have way better immune systems than a child who has been bubble wrapped. I went to school to work in the health care system and currently I am not working in my field because of the pandemic. I am here to fight for my children's rights to be able to learn how to read people's faces, to see when they are sad or mad, to see their friends smile for them, to just be able to play tag for crying out loud, and being kids without the weight of the world on their shoulders and feeling like they are alone. My kids are in a time in their lives where social interaction is crucial and I will do anything for my kids to get back to a normal life.

I have two sons in elementary school. One is just 4 years old and trying to learn letters and sounds for the first time in his life. My other son is just learning how to read in Grade 1 and having to be in masks for 8 hours a day (including daycare) is very detrimental and needs to end! Let children see their teachers smiles and see their friends faces and have normal childhood experiences without masks.

Children are bearing the burden of fear cultivated by public health and government. Parents are frozen by this fear and now children are being disproportionately impacted by masking that has weak evidence behind it.

The mask and every thing about the mandates has affected my daughter's health, not just physically but mentally. It's caused a divide with the kids at school, causing my daughter to feel alone and insecure, she used to be a confident bubbly person. The masks DO NOT support the science they do not prevent you getting viruses or spreading them. They become dirty and unhealthy to wear all day in school, restricting breathing and build up of mold particles which is not healthy to breathe in.

My child cannot function optimally in a mask at school. Her sensory system is easily overwhelmed and she is also prone to fainting spells. Since being granted a mask exemption in September, we noticed a marked improvement in her learning, attention span, attitude towards school, and general outlook. Unfortunately, the school has now revoked the exemption and demanded a medical note for her to continue without a mask. As her advocates in terms of health, mental health and rights, we the parents feel that this is overreach and unconstitutional. Because we refuse to comply with this demand, we have had to withdraw our daughter from the school and search for alternative learning options. We found a learning pod in our community where like-minded families collaborate to teach their kids in an unmasked environment, but the rest of the community finds this to be an outrage and the local newspapers have taken it upon themselves to defame us, shame us, and make every effort to shut down the pod. This is so incredibly damaging to our children and our families - freedom of choice is so critical and is our right under the Canadian Charter. If we don’t correct these dark and divisive behaviours in society soon, I fear this country is doomed to an apartheid-like state.

We are robbing our children of a healthy learning environment, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to decipher non verbal cues and non verbal communication, socialization habits, interpersonal connection, confidence and so on. Not to mention the toxicity of recycling their own bacteria and toxins for hours a day inside their moist masks. Is the government going to fund the millions of dollars in therapy our children will need in the coming years as a result of this child abuse?? 

My daughter has been at home for a year and half, this is her last year of high school. She wants to go back to class. She wants to make memories with her friends in her last year. She wants a graduation and a prom. She has missed out so much. Please take the masks off our children.

My grandchildren attend school in Victoria, BC. I had a long talk with them offering to honestly share how they feel about wearing masks. It upsets them and makes them sad. Even when they are outside they have to wear them on the playground! They told me “it is hard to breathe and the masks are itchy and uncomfortable.” I am deeply concerned about the long-term physical, emotional and mental health of my precious grand children.  With all we know now about this virus let’s stop all mandates before doing more damage!

My boys have chosen to do online learning for the past two years, specifically because of the mask mandates, and restrictions/rapid testing. One child has a mild congenital heart defect, and the other a history of asthma. I have nursing training, and know that all day masking is unhealthy and even dangerous to some children. Next year they are to start high-school, and I pray that the mandates are lifted and our children can have normal school days.

My eldest who is 6 has yet to experience a normal year of school. Between strikes and then lockdowns, this is absurd. Adding to this already dysfunctional introduction to our education system, we throw on a mask. Block any sort of emotion to be seen on his face or his friends' or teachers. What once was a face with big smiles now sits a stoic and sad kid who dislikes going to his grade 1 class. Outsiders and grandparents comment on his disposition. My second child who is 4 was thankfully omitted from the mask for the first few months of school and never once refused going to school. In fact he was the first dressed and in the car ready to go. Since his return this month and mandatory masks, he is angry and anxious and refuses to go to school. Vocally expresses hate for the mask and how difficult it is to breathe and talk. I now have to accommodate for him to be home for "days off" ultimately from the masking. Great addition to the already scary and anxious environment school can be for these little ones entering the education system. I am beyond disappointed in the school curriculum and the absurd mask rules they have withheld through this entire pandemic."

Both of my children have not worn masks since the beginning of this. The school 'kicked' both of my children out on the 2nd day of school this year (even with exemption letters from their doctor). The school didn't even put them into online learning until after Thanksgiving. Now they have been rejected from school and isolated from their friends and are going to be impacted by this long term. Shame on those responsible. You will not be getting away with this.

My child cannot wear a mask for longer than 20 minutes without experiencing observable fatigue, lethargy, lack of motivation, and lack of interest. This has prevented me from being able to enrol her in many of the programs she used to enjoy. She is eight years old and has not been able to access certain opportunities for over two years.

Education should be about kids not making scared adults have a false sense of security in mask wearing. Kids need facial expressions for socio-emotional development. Wearing masks to reduce Covid is like wearing a maxi pad to curb diarrhea - useless!

I have 4 children. My boy has daily headaches and has become angry and confused with all of the rules that “don’t make sense” at school. He is 10 and has lost the ability to cope and refuses to go to school. My youngest 7 yr old has separation anxiety and fears school because it is not a welcoming place but intimidating… to not be greeted with smiles and to not be able to hug her friends… it’s heartbreaking what is being taken from our children.

By having the children masked I have seen a decline in their learning and an increase in aggressive and behavioural issues. This is not just with my children, but other children as well.

Masks cause numerous health issues and numerous developmental, physiological and emotional delays - among many others. Facial recognition is so important for all children but especially for young children who are learning social emotional connections and facial expressions. Human connection is important for all ages. No one should be wearing a mask, especially children. Living in fear and pushing these fears on children, masking and vaccinating them without informed consent or freedom of choice is crimes against humanity and goes against our rights and freedoms. Unmask the children. Unmask the teachers and staff. Let people make their own choices and be responsible for their own decisions.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, my outgoing middle child used to love going to school. Now she has developed anxiety about going back every week and forgetting a mask. She is also scared that if she needs to cough or sneeze she will be sent home.

Masks are having a huge impact on our children. My 7 year old daughter has come home with mouth sores. My 9 year old boy has come home several times upset because he was told to put a mask over his nose, he has asthma. He no longer wants to continue going to public school due to the masks. My 15 year old daughter has severe asthma and finds it hard to concentrate at school, she does not feel free to be herself. They are being forced, bullied and scared into wearing a mask. FREE OUR CHILDREN, let them be kids. This should never have been mandated on them. Put an end to it now.

This policy is senseless. It’s changing kids. They’re losing their connection with each other and their teachers. We know now that the masks don’t prevent transmission and we’re still making everyone wear them. Which is also teaching our kids they can’t listen to their bodies and their own logic, and they must submit to arbitrary rules. This is not what we want for them.

The social, psychological, emotional health effects of hiding their faces, breathing through masks and segregating the children is WAY more detrimental than whatever minuscule threat Covid can possibly have on children. This is no longer, never has been, about health. Fear is the virus! It’s time to wake up and get our lives and freedoms back. It starts with our children!

I have had two near fainting episodes. I cough often and can't teach language activities properly. I get wicked headaches daily. I can't wear a mask all day.

My daughter feels nauseous while wearing a mask. She has also thrown up in the past all over herself and in her mask with no cleanup help from the teachers. My son who is 11 gets really bad headaches as well as myself. It's time to move on in this world and get past this pandemic bs.

My son has stated that it's been harder to meet new people when wearing masks, never mind the negative physical effects to their health. We would have achieved herd immunity better if we just let the kids contract the virus (which they have a 100% chance of surviving) and that, in turn, would have protected the elderly and immune compromised as well! School is difficult enough for a lot of these kids but now with limited social interaction, difficulty breathing properly as well as limited activities... school is even more challenging than ever! STOP THIS INSANITY AND LET THE KIDS BREATHE!

My son is suffocating at school. It is time to pull him from school as his health is deteriorating. The school is ruining my son’s physical, social, and psychological health.

My husband and I have seen our two daughters suffer for two years during these mandates. Their ability to communicate has drastically been affected, as well as their security in their environment. Our youngest has become incredibly insecure, which we feel is due to schools being open then closed suddenly, as well as teachers inappropriately discussing kids dying from Covid. This is not scientific fact and masking the children is a form of fear mongering to keep them compliant. Children are at a very low risk of a negative outcome from Covid and masks don't help reduce the risk of transmission. The World Health Organization and immunologists around the world have publicly discussed this. Our children are at greater negative risk from masking all day than from Covid. They can not see their friends social cues, understand their teachers, or even breathe properly because they are forced to wear masks all day, as well as during sports, gym and other physical activities like outdoor play/recess time. Immuno compromised kids can of course wear masks if their parents are worried about them, but there are other vulnerable children too. Many children suffer from Autism, learning difficulties, English as a second language, hearing issues and more. These children need to be considered as well, these children's parents need to weigh the cost versus benefit of masking their children themselves, not adhere to blanket social policies that have not been proven to work.

These masks are harmful and I want them off my kids. One incident happened to my eldest in October 2021, he called to come home from school due to a sudden intense headache that made him feel like throwing up. When I asked him when it started, he said during fitness testing in Phys Ed while masked.

I work in an Elementary School. We are seeing lots of respiratory illness. The masks are disgusting, filthy and I’m sure filled with all kinds of bacteria and viruses. We have the ability to allow brief mask breaks but children have to wear them in ALL classes inside the building and out at recess.

Ever since the start of the public health masking order, my 9 year old daughter comes home from school nearly every day with headaches. She does not enjoy going to school mainly because of having to wear her mask. She says it is hard to hear her teacher and classmates when they are talking. The biggest thing that bothers me as a parent, is that she tells me she has to wear her mask during phys-ed and even outside on the playground during recess. Imagine how hard that could be on any child, to have to try breathing rapidly from physical activity, all while filtering the amount of oxygen coming in while wearing a mask. My child is scared to even pull her mask down a bit when having a hard time breathing because she is afraid she'll get in trouble. Last I checked, breathing freely was an essential part of staying alive and healthy. Outside of school hours these kids are playing with each other at parks or at each others houses while not wearing masks and they have been completely fine. Therefore, it should make no difference for these kids to be wearing a mask all day while trying to learn. There should always be an option for these kids and parents as to wether or not they want to wear a mask.

Our 10 year old daughter is a vibrant, active, and healthy girl who suddenly started dealing with massive nose bleeds ever few days back when she was wearing a mask. We saw our doctor about it as the sheer volume of blood loss with each time was extremely excessive and without providing an explanation as to why this was suddenly happening we were told to get her nose cauterized. This is even after we mentioned that we believed there was a direct connection to wearing a masks based on the timing and it was the only variable that had changed. We disregarded the doctors suggestion and since refusing to have her wear a masks the nosebleeds have subsided but not yet stopped completely. There is zero proof that masks prevent anyone from contracting Covid and zero proof that they prevent transmission.  There is however extensive proof that wearing masks at any time, especially for long periods, is very detrimental to ones health.  Why is this still being mandated, and more concerning than that, being followed blindly by the majority of the population who believes that they are educated on the subject because they watch the news every day?

As a Youth & Family Counsellor and as a mother, I disagree with the masking of our children who are at basically zero risk of Covid 19 or of transmitting it. I love our elementary school and the principal and staff are fabulous. I hope that the governing bodies of this province take these horrific mandates off the children and any staff who are against it. I believe in freedom to choose medical interventions, masks along with vaccines are medical interventions that should only be chosen by the family and not the province.

Due to the school board mandating children to wear masks in school, my two, young children are homeschooled. The negative effects of masks on children and the potential of higher respiratory illnesses from wearing them are the reasons why they are homeschooled. The school boards are blindly following the public health orders without placing children as a priority. Once all the mandates are no longer in effect in our schools, my children can commence their schooling under the school boards direction. Children have over 99% recovery rate from Covid and all these measures in place are only hurting the development of young children. SARS-COV-1 in 2003 was more severe than SARS-COV-2.  There weren't any pandemic orders in place then, so why are they in place for a milder variant? 

I work in the school district and have personally seen children complain of headaches and telling me they can’t breathe. This isn’t right. The whole world should rise up in defence for our children. Nurses in BC and Manitoba fought for their right to go unmasked after the ridiculous “mask or vaccinate” policy. They won as the science proved masks are ineffective. Let children play. Let children BREATHE. As an early childhood educator, I stand firmly that children rely on our facial expressions (I know I do!). I also see how these mask policies affect our child and the relationship they have with their teachers. This is unacceptable. The rise in mental health issues is deeply concerning. My child in high school has a mask exemption, and yet, he is treated by his music teacher as a walking disease. He is told to stay in a room by himself to keep others safe. These policies segregate people. We keep our children home if they are not feeling well. They should NEVER be treated as though they are sick without being sick.

As  someone working with children in schools, I have seen the impact of masks on students, specifically with students who have behavioural challenges. I know of a number of students whose schooling has been interrupted because they were not comfortable coming to school with a mask on, or being the only 'exempt' one in the classroom. I know of one student who has not returned to school in their grade 7 year since the mandatory mask order and this is a horrible tragedy for this student who is greatly impacted by mental health and is now further isolated and in mental distress. I am very concerned for the mental and physical well being of our students.

I have been an RN for 13 years. Watching the hygiene practices around masking in the community is enough to turn any medical professional’s stomach. They are stuffed in pockets, desks and backpacks rarely washed. The contaminated side is often touched, children inadvertently put them on inside out. This isn’t helping anyone stay safe! Our children need smiles, speech development and normalcy.

As a teacher I have seen the heartbreaking trauma that these masks are causing my students and my own kids. Students can't focus on their studies, are constantly fidgeting with their masks, and are exuding increased anxiety and stress. I have previously thriving students who have missed weeks of school because they are overwhelmed with stress and anxiety! Stop the madness!! It is okay to admit when you are wrong. Please think of the mental health and psychological trauma you are inflicting on the next generation. Stop all masks!

Mask wearing is not a 'symbol of safety', it is a constant reminder of 'threat to safety'. It is the basis of traumatic reaction and I am seeing trauma reactions in children as young as kindergarten. Aside from that, breathing in carbon dioxide sets off the fear centre in the brain the same way trauma does.

Communicating to children that the air they exhale may be dangerous is psychological abuse. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable, constricting and unsafe. Asking children to bare this discomfort for the sake of others, sets the stage for them to be abused. This may teach them to ignore their instincts and their physical discomfort, because a trusted adult has told them it’s what they need to do. 

As an Education Assistant, I have seen firsthand what a struggle it is on the kids to wear masks all day. It has only caused more stress and anxiety on school staff and students. Please unmask schools for the sake of the mental health of the next generation.

My son, in grade four, has developed anxiety due to the wearing of masks and other restrictions implemented at school. The anxiety begins the night before school and results in loss of sleep, which is detrimental to his learning and overall happiness. He told me he feels like he is in prison when he is at school. The negative impact on his mental health is concerning. That is to say nothing of the physical effects of the pandemic. He is not alone, we know that. This is an attack on all our children. His after school program forces children to use sanitizer by physically holding their hands so they cannot pull away, even when they say no. Forced masking and sanitizer amounts to assault and our children are suffering. End this dangerous, toxic policy now and maybe our kids will have a chance of recovery.