CO2 readers unlikely to be installed for start of school year in Quebec

MONTREAL -

Contrary to what Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge promised in June, it seems unlikely that CO2 detectors will be installed in all Quebec schools for the start of the next academic year.

The call for tenders was issued on July 16 and will be withdrawn on Aug. 16, according to an e-mail by the ministry.

This leaves less than three weeks before the start of the school year to get the job done.

When asked about the exact date the devices should be installed, Esther Chouinard, spokesperson for Roberge's office, simply replied that the "file is still in progress."

President of the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE), Sylvain Mallette, is now asking why the call for tenders "was drafted so late" -- a little more than a month after the announcement.

Mallette insists if the government wants to equip schools with CO2 detectors by September as planned, it "will have to get busy."

BACK TO SCHOOL

A meeting was held last Thursday between Roberge and the various teacher and staff unions regarding the upcoming school year.

At the meeting, Éric Gingras, president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), representing 110,000 employees in the school system, says he "brought the voice of his members" in asking for a better implementation of health measures.

"The last few months have been trying and gruelling for school staff and emergency childcare services," he said. "They all want as normal and as stable conditions as possible to do their jobs properly for the benefit of the students."

Teachers are juggling "anxiety-provoking factors," Mallette adds, noting even if the "majority want to go back to the classroom," they want to do so in a safe environment.

Currently, he reports that in some areas of Quebec, the vaccination rate for 12 to 17-year-olds is lower than it should be -- and those under 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated.

Mallette maintains that the installation of carbon dioxide (CO2) detectors to measure air quality and limit the risks of transmitting COVID-19 in schools is necessary as many schools do not have adequate ventilation systems.

Gingras notes he will be monitoring the implementation of CO2 detectors in schools and classrooms very closely.

"The pandemic has brought to light the state of obsolescence of many schools that do not comply with current standards," he said. "The absence of detectors leaves room for uncertainty and in the face of this, it is not right that school staff should not be able to know whether they are working in conditions that meet minimum air quality standards."

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 10, 2021.

-- This article was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Grants.