'I don’t agree with this': Northern Ont. MPP on rapid test rollout

The Ontario government is ramping up rapid COVID-19 testing by providing free kits to those that want them at pop-up clinics and participating LCBO’s across the province.

Nickel Belt MPP and health critic France Gelinas said providing these tests to Ontarians is an important step, but she disagrees with the way it's being implemented.

"The rollout should have been 'let's roll this out in areas that are the most in need,' and that would have been in Sudbury and Timmins. But they didn’t do this, they went out to Toronto first. It's like Toronto is first for everything no matter the need. I don’t agree with this," Gelinas said.

"We know more about this virus now. We know where it is most active. We know where the strategy is most needed and it should have been available in northern Ontario first."

Currently, northerners can access a rapid test at select pharmacies but they will have to pay out of pocket.

"To have to pay $40 to do this, very few people will do this. To make readily available to anyone that wants to self-test, that’s a game-changer," she said.

"A lot of people will do this because they care about their loved ones and because they care about the people they want to spend the holidays with."

Students have access to free kits they'll take home over the holidays, but educators do not, and that has five Ontario teachers' unions coming together. The group includes the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF).

"To successfully combat COVID-19, everyone in all school environments should have equal access to rapid tests. It is the responsibility of school boards and the provincial government to facilitate all COVID-19 prevention efforts to ensure test availability, including rapid testing," the AEFO, CUPE, ETFO, OECTA, OSSTF said in a joint statement.

"Cases of COVID-19 are currently rising in Ontario and are projected to continue to rise after the holidays. The government should immediately provide tests to all school staff and move beyond its current in-school rapid testing pilot project to fund regular asymptomatic testing in schools across the province."

Meantime local public health officials are encouraging everyone to get tested before the holidays, even if they don’t have symptoms. They say it’s just about choosing the correct tool.

"The difference between the two is the rapid antigen test is a screening tool, so really important to remember that. A PCR test -- so what we have at our assessment centres -- is a diagnostic test. So this is a really helpful lab-based test that can help us distinguish the virus with a low chance of error compared to a rapid antigen test," said Kayla Kainulainen, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

With an increased demand for rapid tests, the province is continuing to urge the federal government to increase the number of approved rapid tests it makes available for use in Ontario.

CTV News reached out to the Ontario Ministry of Health to find out when rapid tests will be available in the north and has not yet received a response.