This should go without saying, but apparently it must be said: a solar eclipse is not an emergency.

A total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Canada on April 8, and in Ontario, there will be just over two minutes of darkness starting at around 3:18 p.m. That is certainly exciting, but based on the reaction of some safety-obsessed officials, you would think it is somehow dangerous — beyond the risk that someone might damage their eyeballs by staring directly at the sun. To the consternation of parents of school-aged children, school boards in some parts of the province have cancelled classes, citing “safety concerns.”