Vaccines were once mandatory for Manitoba students. Does the measles outbreak warrant a return? – CBC

Immunization hasn’t been a requirement to attend schools in Manitoba in decades

Feb 22, 2026

Linda Ross wonders if Manitoba’s measles outbreak would have spiralled to hundreds of cases if school divisions had pushed for mandatory vaccination against the illness for students almost a decade ago.

“I don’t foretell the future, but I do have to admit that thought has crossed my mind from time to time,” Ross, a Brandon School Division trustee, told CBC.

In 2018, her division asked the Manitoba School Boards Association to formally lobby the province to make vaccination for several illnesses, including measles, a requirement for students.

The proposal was defeated, with school boards voting overwhelmingly against it. Parental rights were the main argument brought up, Ross said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/measles-outbreak-students-vaccination-9.7100180