Dear John,

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, entire populations halted socializing, schooling and commerce.

A new study published by the Fraser Institute today finds that there was information available to policymakers early on showing that school closures would do more harm than good.

But, as you know, schools were closed up until 2022 anyway.

The study finds that these closures had – and will continues to have – significant negative effects on children’s academic performance and mental health:

• Spike in mental health problems: Research shows that 64% of Canadians aged 15-24 had self-perceived poor mental health during the pandemic – higher than any other demographic.
• Learning loss: Early test score data shows a decline in student achievement following school closures.
• Increased inequality: School closures result in a loss of a students’ lifetime effective years of basic schooling, which in turn likely reduces their lifetime earnings.

Read the full study here, and be sure to help us spread these findings far and wide!

Sincerely,

Niels Veldhuis
President
The Fraser Institute