This post is a chronology of events around the COVID-19 pandemic for Canadian universities. It is focusing on the period from May 2022 until early September 2022. In other words, a mostly fairly quiet summer and then heading into the fall term. I expect the next one of these to come out around the end of the fall term, but we’ll see what happens.
This post basically covers Canadian and Ontario universities’ shameful dismantling of mask and vaccine mandates mid-summer and then towards the end of the summer, their refusal to re-implement those mandates. This in the face of all the evidence in the world that mandates work in reducing the spread of COVID on campuses and communities.
Here is a list of my previous posts about universities and COVID.
- I support a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for higher education students, staff and faculty in Ontario and Canada! (Plus bonus timeline and resources!)
- List of Canadian post-secondary institutions with vaccine mandates (plus bonus chronology)
- Campus reopening and COVID-19 health and safety questions for the York University administration
- COVID Chronology: Canadian universities’ response from vaccine mandates to reopening
- COVID Chronology: Canadian universities prepare for the summer term with mask and vaccine mandates set to be removed — or are they?
My COVID Information Series
- Around the Web: Women in Science May Suffer Lasting Career Damage from COVID-19
- Around the Web: Scholarly Communications in the Age of the Coronavirus
- COVID-19 Resources for Canada & Ontario: Advocacy, Data, Visualizations, Health & Safety Standards, News
- Around the Web: COVID is airborne so enough with the bullshit hygiene theatre
- Around the Web: COVID-19 is airborne and hygiene theatre is the wrong response
- Around the Web: Using CO2 monitors to indirectly measure air quality and help reduce COVID-19 transmission
- The COVID Information Series: Keep mask mandates! Masks are vital to stop the spread of COVID-19! Read the research!
- The COVID Information Series: The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Not Over!
- The COVID Information Series: Long COVID and the very real risks of long term health problems arising from COVID-19 infection
- The COVID Information Series: Scientific evidence supporting continued COVID protections such as mask and vaccine mandates at universities
Select Building and Room Ventilation Information
- Western: Building Ventilation
- McGill: Ventilation in your building and CO2 measurements | Coronavirus information
- UToronto: COVID-19 HVAC strategy
- McMaster: Health & Safety – COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
2022.03.28. Masks strongly encouraged, not mandatory indoors – University of Victoria
2022.04.02. General masking mandate ends at close of 2022 winter term | News | University of Calgary
2022.04.25. University masking mandates must continue – OCUFA
2022.05.09. As provincial COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, universities must figure out how to proceed
2022.05.12. McMaster University wins court decision over student vaccine mandates | National Post
2022.05.16. Updates to McMaster’s COVID-19 safety measures
2022.05.17. McMaster says masks no longer mandatory on campus as of June 1 | CBC News
2022.05.28. COVID, housing crisis affect Halifax’s international students | CBC News
2022.06.01. COVID-19 Protocol Updates – Changes as of June 1st | Tyndale University (“mask friendly campus”)
2022.06.05. Bishop’s University holds mega convocation ceremonies for pandemic graduates | CBC News
2022.06.06. Mask mandate ending at @ufog July 1. / T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) / Twitter
2022.06.07. Snapshots from a bumpy academic year, through a math professor’s lens — University Affairs
2022.06.09. BREAKING: U of T to lift mask mandate on July 1 – The Varsity
2022.06.10. Mask Mandate Paused as of June 25 – COVID-19 / Carlton
2022.06.16. Masks Optional on Campus as of June 20 – Trent Forward: Our Response to COVID-19 / Trent
2022.06.20. Laurier’s face-covering requirement to be lifted July 1
2022.06.20. Laurier and Waterloo removing mask mandates on campus | TheRecord.com
2022.06.22. U of S pauses on-campus mask mandate | The Star Phoenix
2022.06.22. Canadore and Nipissing pausing mask mandates – North Bay News
2022.06.27. Masks no longer required in UBC public indoor spaces after June 30
2022.06.28. Brock to pause COVID-19 vaccination and mask requirements effective July 4
2022.06.29. COVID-19 masking mandate / UWO
2022.06.29. Vaccination policy and mask requirements | MyNews | Seneca Students (masks still required)
2022.07.04. Centennial College drops mask mandate as of Canada Day | The Star
2022.07.05. Brock Masking and Vaccination Policy Paused – 101.1 More FM
2022.07.05. MUNL lifts its mask and vaccine mandate – The Muse
2022.07.11. COVID-19 update on masking, continued in-person classes / UManitoba
2022.07.18. ‘It’s pretty devastating to feel unsafe at your workplace’: disabled, immunocompromised community members worried over end of campus mask mandates / UBC
2022.07.21. Institutions and events consider masking requirements amongst summer COVID-19 surge
2022.07.21. Mount A keeping masks mandatory this fall, other universities waiting | CBC News
2022.07.21. Updates regarding COVID-19 | Faculty of Medicine / UOttawa Faculty of Medicine (masks required)
2022.07.22. U of M sticks with mask mandate
2022.07.22. U of Manitoba will require masks this fall, while some other schools recommend them | CBC News
2022.07.28. UVic’s fall COVID-19 plans and policies Martlet / UVic (no updates yet on fall)
2022.07.28. COVID-19 planning update | University of Toronto
2022.07.29. U of T students living in residence will have to be triple vaccinated against COVID-19
2022.07.29. Saint Francis Xavier University Mask Policy | 101.5 The Hawk (required in classroom, etc)
2022.07.29. U of T requiring anyone living in campus residences to be triple-vaxxed against COVID-19 | CBC News
2022.08.02. Students returning to campus want the ‘university experience’ missed during COVID-19
2022.08.04. U of T vax policy could boost uptake, but more needed to drive real increase: experts | CBC News
2022.08.04. Masks to be required in MSVU classrooms and student labs this fall – CityNews Halifax
2022.08.04. Experts call for mask, vaccine requirements at Brock University, Niagara College | StCatharinesStandard.ca
2022.08.04. Getting rid of COVID-19 mandates only prolongs the pandemic – The Gateway / UAlberta
2022.08.09. Quebec university students scored high with COVID-19 compliance: McGill study
2022.08.09. COVID-19 Update for the 2022 Fall Academic Semester | University of Prince Edward Island (masks mandatory)
2022.08.10. Masks to be mandatory again at UPEI for fall semester | CBC News
2022.08.10. UPEI reinstating mask mandate for fall semester | SaltWire
2022.08.10. Covid update: Change to mask guidance as of August 25 | University of King’s College (mask mandate)
2022.08.10. Minimal COVID-19 protocols on campus: reasonable or “blatant disregard?” | News – The Link
2022.08.11. How Canadian universities raked in record-high revenues amid the pandemic
2022.08.11. COVID‑19 procedures and protocols for Fall 2022 / Dalhousie (mask mandate)
2022.08.11. COVID-19 – St Thomas University (mask mandate)
2022.08.11. Masking to remain a must in STU classrooms this fall | TJ.news
2022.08.12. Dalhousie to require masks in the classroom this fall – CityNews Halifax
2022.08.12. Some students at Maritime universities will need to mask up in class and labs
2022.08.12. Canadian universities earned record-high surplus revenues during COVID-19: StatCan
2022.08.14. No plans to reinstate mandatory mask policies, says CBU | SaltWire
2022.08.15. COVID-19 update / UNB (Fall mask mandate in classrooms, etc)
2022.08.16. Fall term preparations / Memorial Gazette
2022.08.16. Masks mandatory again in Memorial University classrooms for fall semester
2022.08.16. Memorial University bringing back mask rules in classes, labs for fall semester
2022.08.16. To help keep our #SMUCommunity safe this fall, students, faculty and staff will be required to wear masks in all indoor common areas on campus starting September 1. Learn more: https://smu.ca/covidinfo/ #smuFYI / Saint Mary’s University (@smuhalifax) / Twitter
2022.08.16. University of New Brunswick to keep ‘loosened’ mask mandate this fall | CBC News
2022.08.16. Opposition MLAs want more information about Nova Scotia’s back-to-school plan | CBC News
2022.08.17. Sudbury post-secondary schools going easy on COVID requirements
2022.08.17. Simon Fraser moves 4 football games from Canada to U.S. due to COVID-19 vaccination entry requirements
2022.08.17. Lethbridge college, university prepare for a full return to campus this fall
2022.08.17. No proof of vaccination or mandatory masks for Fanshawe College students | London Free Press
2022.08.18. . @ontariotech_u will continue its mask mandate until further notice. Wearing a mask in congregate settings to keep people safer should not be controversial. We are in this together, and need to look out for each other. I’d like to thank our campus community for your diligence. 
/ Steven Murphy (@DrStevenMurphy) / Twitter
2022.08.18. Masks Still Required At Some N.B. Universities | Country 94
2022.08.18. How New Brunswick post-secondary institutions are handling masks this fall – New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.18. Instructors apprehensive after U of W lifts campus mask mandate
2022.08.18. Proof of vaccination, mandatory masks out for Fanshawe College | London Free Press
2022.08.19. Instructors apprehensive after U of W lifts campus mask mandate
2022.08.19. Saint Mary’s University to make masks mandatory in instructional, common spaces | SaltWire
2022.08.19. Mask mandate at Ontario Tech, not Durham College or Trent Durham | The Star
2022.08.19. Ontario Tech continues with mask directive
2022.08.19. Masks | Ready for you / Ontario Tech (masks required)
2022.08.19. UWO faculty waiting for COVID-19 guidance, want mask mandate to return – London | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.19. University looks forward to full return to campus in September – News and Events / Toronto Met U (no mask or vax mandate)
2022.08.20. Here’s what Manitoba post-secondary schools are doing to prepare for the return of students | CTV News
2022.08.20. UPEI officials asking students without housing not to come this fall | CBC News
2022.08.22. COVID-19 masking policy for Fall 2022 / USask (masking mandate NOT reinstated)
2022.08.22. Western requires COVID-19 booster and masking in instructional spaces this fall
2022.08.22. Updating you on Fall health and safety / UWaterloo (“We are a mask-friendly campus”)
2022.08.22. In alignment with @WesternU we have updated our vaccination & masking policy to require all students & employees to have 2 doses, plus 1 booster, of the COVID-19 vaccination accompanied by mandatory masking within instructional spaces. / King’s at Western (@KingsAtWestern) / Twitter
2022.08.22. Just announced: @uofg will not have a #MaskMandate or #VaccineMandate. They are recommending medical style masks. At this point, I’d also like to defer my fall semester #HigherEd #COVIDisAirborne #CovidIsNotOver / Dr Shoshanah Jacobs (@shoshanahjacobs) / Twitter
2022.08.22. Restore the Mask Mandate! / CUPE 3902 UToronto
2022.08.22. Western University mandating booster dose, masks in return to campus | CP24.com
2022.08.22. COVID-19 updates for a healthy fall term | Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier will require face-coverings in instructional spaces)
2022.08.22. COVID-19 Update: Planning for September / UGuelph (no mandates)
2022.08.22. University of Winnipeg removes mask mandate despite faculty concerns, union president says | CBC News
2022.08.22. CUPE 4600 files Masking Grievance / CUPE 4600 Carleton
2022.08.23. What are Ontario post-secondary schools’ COVID-19 policies ahead of fall semester | CityNews Toronto
2022.08.23. Here are the vaccine and mask policies for Windsor post-secondary students this fall
2022.08.23. Vaccines, masking still not required at U of G for fall semester
2022.08.23. Waterloo region universities announce COVID guidelines ahead of autumn semester | CTV News
2022.08.23. Masking back at Laurier, strongly encouraged at UW | TheRecord.com
2022.08.23. COVID-19 guidelines ahead of Fall term start | Queen’s Gazette (“Mask friendly campus”)
2022.08.23. Lethbridge post secondary institutions outline COVID-19 plans for fall 2022
2022.08.23. Masks to be required in classrooms at Laurier University but not at the University of Waterloo
2022.08.23. Concerns raised about tight timeline, barriers related to Western U booster mandate | CP24.com
2022.08.23. University of Guelph will not have mask or COVID-19 vaccine mandates this fall – Guelph | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.24. Some universities across Canada requiring masks despite provincial health orders
2022.08.24. Masks will not be mandatory at Sask. universities as fall semester looms | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.24. McMaster, Mohawk in Hamilton keep pause on masking, COVID-19 vax mandates | inTheHammer
2022.08.24. Few universities requiring masks on campus as prospect of new COVID-19 wave looms – Burnaby Now
2022.08.24. Student backlash builds over Western University mask, vaccine mandate | London Free Press
2022.08.24. Vaccination, masking not mandated at Queen’s University this fall
2022.08.24. Hamilton-area post-secondary schools, including McMaster, say vaccines not mandatory this fall
2022.08.24. “It was Exhilarating!”: U of T Students Become Lay Vaccinators – Dalla Lana School of Public Health
2022.08.24. Will your school require masks and proof of vaccination this fall? Here’s what we know
2022.08.24. Fall 2022 Semester: A Message from President Gordon & Provost Weir / UWindsor (“We will continue to require masking indoors where physical distancing of two metres cannot be maintained.”)
2022.08.24. A Safe & Healthy Fall Term – Trent Forward: Our Response to COVID-19 / TrentU (mask friendly)
2022.08.24. Laurentian University | COVID-19 – Resources (masks required)
2022.08.24. COVID-19 Updates / OCADU (masks required)
2022.08.24. Fall 2022 Semester: A Message from President Gordon & Provost Weir / UWindsor (masks required)
2022.08.25. Universities, colleges should follow Ontario medical officer on COVID requirements: gov’t | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.25. UWOFA applauds Western’s COVID booster mandate as Brescia charts own policy course – London | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.25. Masks to remain optional at UBC going into fall term
2022.08.25. Queen’s, St. Lawrence to not require masks on campus this fall
2022.08.25. Edmonton post-secondary institutions ask students, staff to follow COVID-19 ‘personal health measures’
2022.08.25. Laurentian University | COVID-19 – Resources (mask mandate in instructional settings if distancing not possible)
2022.08.25. University of Toronto education workers union wants students masked on campus
2022.08.26. Universities, colleges taking varied approaches to COVID-19 as students set to return to campus | CBC News
2022.08.26. Masks indoors, sick day supports: how officials can keep supporting campus communities | CBC.ca
2022.08.26. Here’s What Vaccine & Mask Requirements Are At 11 Canadian Universities & Colleges – Narcity
2022.08.26. USC debates opposing Western vaccine, mask mandates | News | westerngazette.ca
2022.08.26. Will Winnipeg, Brandon, St. Boniface universities impose mask mandate?
2022.08.26. Western University student protest attracts greater anti-mandate community | CTV News
2022.08.26. ‘Excited and nervous’: University students returning to Sask. campuses for ‘normal’ semester
2022.08.26. Resources for a safe and healthy return to campus – YFile / YorkU (culture of caring)
2022.08.27. Face coverings requirements return to Laurentian
2022.08.27. ‘Only the beginning’: Hundreds protest Western University vaccine mandate
2022.08.27. Western University warns anti-COVID-19 mandate protest could be ‘dangerous’
2022.08.27. Statement from Western University regarding planned student protest
2022.08.28. Anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate protest at Western University sees hundreds | Globalnews.ca
2022.08.28. UCalgary welcomes record number of students to on-campus housing amid COVID rebound, tight rental market
2022.08.29. Get ready for return to campus / YorkU (“culture of caring”)
2022.08.29. Brock to require masks in all instructional spaces
2022.08.29. Masks encouraged, but not required, this fall at Hamilton schools, post-secondary institutions | TheSpec.com
2022.08.29. Laurentian University brings back masking – Sudbury News
2022.08.29. Masks To Be Mandatory At Brock In All Instructional Spaces
2022.08.29. Students, schools gearing up for first in-person orientation since COVID-19 halted events | CBC News
2022.08.30. Brock University to require masks in instructional spaces, vaccination requirement remains paused
2022.08.30. Greater Victoria post-secondary schools will not require masks, COVID-19 vaccinations
2022.08.30. 5 things to know about fall term at McMaster – Daily News (masks encouraged)
2022.08.30. Update on Fall 2022 COVID-19 Measures / Carleton (masks strongly recommended)
2022.08.31. Brock University students will have to wear medical-grade masks in class this fall | CBC News
2022.08.31. TRU dropping nearly all pandemic precautions ahead of fall semester – Kamloops News – Castanet.net
2022.08.31. Danielle Smith pledges to ban college and university vaccine mandates
2022.08.31. YUFA concerns about HVAC operations on campus and COVID-19 transmission
2022.08.31. Resisting the Privatization of Canadian Health Care Systems – The McGill Daily
2022.08.31. Western U student government rejects call to oppose mask mandate
2022.08.31. Manitoba post-secondary students head back to class with mix of excitement and nerves | CBC News
2022.08.31. ‘Business as usual’: U of A welcomes students back to campus for fall semester | Edmonton Journal
2022.08.31. Universities keeping close eye on monkeypox as students return | CTV News
2022.08.31.
2022.09.01. Western University student government won’t fight mask, vaccine rules | London Free Press
2022.09.01. ‘Normal return’ for students at University of Waterloo on move-in day | CTV News
2022.09.01. Nipissing University Update on Coronavirus (strongly recommend masks)
2022.09.02. Reinstate Mandatory Masking at the University of Waterloo / Change.org
2022.09.04. Cape Breton University and its faculty at odds over mask use
2022.09.04. U of T updates its HVAC strategy for the first time in over a year
2022.09.04. UTFA petition to restore mask mandate for fall semester surpasses 2,500 signatures
2022.09.04. U of T’s net income increased by 65 per cent during pandemic year
2022.09.04. First-year students anxious about ‘big jump’ into university after online school | CBC News
2022.09.05. Universities take diverging paths on COVID-19 mask, vaccine mandates – The Globe and Mail
2022.09.05. We asked Western students: What do you think of the school’s mask mandate? | London Free Press
2022.09.06. Western University’s COVID-19 communication strategy destroying student trust | The Star
2022.09.06. Most colleges and universities in northeast drop COVID-19 mandates | CBC News
2022.09.06. The @APUOtt , the faculty/librarian union at uOttawa has joined the undergrad union @seuo_uosu in calling for a mask mandate. Quoting Prof. Alexandre Baril, “masking shows your solidarity with handicapped, ill and immunocompromised people; it’s putting anti-ableism in action!” / Evan Sterling (@Ester__Island) / Twitter
2022.09.06. Air of excitement on MUN campus as all students, faculty return | CBC News
2022.09.06. Western extends COVID-19 booster deadline following Health Canada announcement
2022.09.07. Western sued over vaccine mandates | News | westerngazette.ca
2022.09.07. What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Return to Campus – Excalibur
2022.09.08. Campus unions have ‘no confidence’ in TMU’s approach to protecting community amid in-person return
2022.09.08. 5 Western University students seek injunction to block COVID-19 booster shot mandate | CBC News
