Dear Editor,
The start of the school year is just around the corner and we at Ontario School Safety (OSS) are concerned that the Ontario government has yet to share any sort of plan to improve air quality in our schools to make it safer for students and staff.
Why is clean air important? Ventilation and filtration in school buildings and buses are our first lines of defence against air pollution and infectious diseases. If students are required to attend school under the Ontario Education Act, then the Ontario government is responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment — including clean air.
Last fall, Ontario students were hit hard by the “tripledemic” of flu, RSV, and COVID-19. Ottawa’s children’s hospital had to call in the Red Cross because they were so overwhelmed. This year’s tripledemic season is predicted to be worse as a result of wildfire smoke exposure and a failure to make the changes to schools and buses needed to avoid it. If last year’s tripledemic led to the near-collapse of healthcare systems nationwide, then we should be doing everything in our power to improve indoor air quality in schools to make sure it doesn’t happen again this year in Ontario.
We know that last year, absences due to illness were drastically higher than previous years for both students and education workers. Illness in schools has a direct effect on the health of the community and the economy. Everyone suffers when we continue to do nothing about improving indoor air quality in Ontario schools and buses.
We need our government to do everything it takes, as quickly as possible, to clean the air in schools for our students and education workers. We’ve observed the cool and clean air at Queen’s Park. We’re asking the provincial government to provide the same for schools — with some of that $22 billion of our tax dollars they didn’t spend this year.
We have the tools. We need our leaders to step up. Now is the time to prioritize indoor air quality and provide a safe September. Our kids can’t wait.
Dr Heather Hanwell, PhD MPH MSc
Ontario School Safety
