The prospect of digital learning for the province’s students in September is a very real possibility, and a local poverty advocate is concerned that could put some students at a disadvantage.

Dan Meades says he has no issue with the public health measures put in place and contends they are being done in a very “thoughtful and rational” way, but if learning does happen virtually there are equity issues that need to be addressed.

He believes if we aren’t providing equitable access to everybody, then we aren’t doing our jobs.

Meades says access to things like high-speed internet and the appropriate technology are what will create gaps in the system, and ultimately contribute to higher poverty rates in the future due to a lack of educational access.

He argues that a child who goes to school without the proper textbooks would not have great academic outcomes. He says now, those textbooks are iPads, and we need to provide that to ensure everyone gets a fair education.