More than half of Toronto and Ottawa students assessed this year do not have up-to-date vaccination records, revealing serious flaws in Ontario’s outdated reporting system, according to local public health units.
Toronto Public Health said it sent about 60,000 reminder letters over the summer to students in Grades 2–5 whose records were incomplete. As of early October, 54% — roughly 50,000 students — remain non-compliant, facing suspension notices if updates aren’t received soon.
In Ottawa, about 16,000 students in Grades 2 and 12 — more than two-thirds of those assessed — were also missing vaccination documentation, officials confirmed.
Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act, students must be vaccinated against nine diseases to attend school. But the current process requires parents to manually submit records to local health units, creating confusion and gaps.
Outdated system, declining rates
Public health experts warn that the cumbersome, paper-based process — often involving tracking down old yellow cards or clinic printouts — means official databases are incomplete and vaccination coverage is uncertain.
“It’s not the ideal process,” said Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. “We need providers to be able to input records directly into a central registry.”
The call comes as Canada’s vaccination rates continue to decline, and health agencies warn the country risks losing its measles-free status after more than 5,000 cases were reported in the past year.
Push for a digital vaccine registry
Ontario’s top doctor Dr. Kieran Moore and other experts, including Dr. Kumanan Wilson in Ottawa, have long advocated for a provincial or national digital vaccine registry.
The Ministry of Health says it is developing a tool to give Ontarians online access to their vaccination data, but no launch timeline has been announced.
Toronto family physician Dr. Milena Forte described the system as “a duplication of effort.” Parents often spend hours contacting clinics to verify shots that are already up to date, she said.
“It’s creating extra work when we could be counselling families on other health issues,” Forte added.
Students face suspensions amid confusion
In the 2024–25 school year, Toronto suspended more than 6,000 students over missing vaccine documentation, with 4,400 still suspended by the second day.
Hamilton’s public health unit also sent 22,000 warning letters last year, suspending about 6,400 students after records were not provided.
Parents and experts alike say the manual system no longer fits modern needs.
“It’s ludicrous that we don’t have a consolidated record,” said Hamilton parent Joe Crampton. “In any other system, data would be shared securely — not typed from a yellow card.”
As Ontario scrambles to modernize, public health officials warn that without digital integration, vaccination rates — and public trust — may keep falling.
