Ontario Invests in King and Vaughan Schools to Support Safe & More Normal Return
I remain a strong advocate of in-person learning, appreciating full well how critical for the physical and mental health, academic success and overall well-being of students. That is why Ontario’s government has a plan for a safer return to class, with the full support of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, by further investing in air ventilation improvements in King and Vaughan.
Enhanced Air Ventilation & Quality
MPP Lecce announced $3,714,379 in ICIP-CVRIS investments in King-Vaughan of which $2,780,000 is earmarked for ventilation projects in local schools as follows:
The Ontario government recently announced additional funding of $25 million to further improve ventilation in schools as students return for in-person learning this fall. We are following the best expert advice by ensuring all schools have improved air ventilation, including deploying an additional 20,000 HEPA units, in total over 70,000 ventilation devices, to help ensure schools remain as safe as possible. This additional funding, which brings the net new investments in school ventilation to $600 million, will ensure that all occupied classrooms, gyms, libraries and other instructional spaces without mechanical ventilation have standalone high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter units in place when students are back in class, including Junior and Senior Kindergarten classrooms in mechanically ventilated schools to recognize that the youngest learners are not required to wear masks in the classroom.
These investments build on the more than $1 billion Ontario has invested since 2019 in new schools and child care spaces and additions to provide working families with access to quality, safe and state-of-the-art learning spaces.
Improving ventilation and air quality in schools is critically important for ensuring the safety of students, school staff and their families. Altogether, Ontario’s government is providing more than $600 million this year in addition to $1.4 billion in annual funding we provide to school boards to renew school facilities, including HVAC and windows.
Young people in our community deserve a more normal school year. Ontario’s government is investing in improved ventilation and air quality in schools to ensure they are safe for in-person learning.
Background on the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (ICIP-CVRIS):
Together, the governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $656.5 million to upgrade Ontario’s education infrastructure through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (ICIP-CVRIS). Projects include HVAC renovations, installing water bottle refilling stations, investing in network and broadband for remote learning, and space reconfigurations such as walls and doors to enhance physical distancing.
CVRIS supported 2,052 projects in over 1,670 schools and co-located childcare facilities across 70 school boards throughout Ontario.