The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) is working to meet air filtration standards set by the Ministry of Education, based on recommendations by Ontario’s Science Advisory Table. The UCDSB needed 289 HEPA units to meet the standards but was able to buy 2230 units with financial assistance from the Ministry of Education.
“We’ve availed ourselves of all the funding for that purpose from the provincial government,” said UCDSB chair John McAllister. “I know that we’ve spent millions on that at the present time.”
The UCDSB aims to have 1,996 units in place by the start of the school year, filtering air in classrooms, gyms, and other facilities that don’t already have dedicated mechanical ventilation systems. All Kindergarten classes will also have a HEPA unit, even if mechanical ventilation is already in place. The filters will be inventoried and maintained continually, to ensure not even a single room is left without one.
Another 19 ventilation upgrade projects are slated for the 2021-2022 school year, and further ventilation upgrades will be a priority for future capital upgrade projects.
