Air quality and COVID-19: Quebec Opposition MNA tables bill to install air monitors, purifiers in every classroom
A bill introduced to the national assembly Wednesday would equip every Quebec classroom with an air purifier and sensor that monitors carbon dioxide levels, impose new maximum CO2 concentrations, and make CO2 data available to the public.
Higher levels of CO2 concentrations suggest air isn’t circulating properly indoors, signifying a higher potential for the spread of COVID-19. While the province considers 1,000 parts per million (ppm) to be an ideal target, data presented by the ministry last week suggests 724 classrooms have a weekly average CO2 concentration that exceeds 1,500 parts per million (ppm), while 72 classrooms exceed 2,000 ppm.
Quebec Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy tabled Bill 192, An Act to ensure student health and safety in the classroom by regulating ambient air quality in schools, with hopes that the national assembly will move quickly to pass it.
“We can work on this bill right now,” Rizqy told reporters in Quebec City.
“The (Parti Quebecois) makes a big deal about King Charles, and now we are able to table a bill within a few days,” she said in reference to Bill 4, which aims to make the King's oath optional and allow PQ members to sit without swearing allegiance to the British monarchy.
Time is of the essence, as it was highlighted earlier this month by Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville that carbon dioxide concentrations are likely to rise as the weather gets colder and schools close their windows.
Quebec Liberal Opposition Education and Higher Education Critic Marwah Rizqy questions the government during question period in this file photo dated Thursday, September 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Under Rizqy’s bill, the 1,000 ppm target would become the legal limit. Schools would be compelled to provide weekly reports to the ministry, which would then be made public.
The proposed limit is even tighter during pandemic times, restricting the acceptable limit to 800 ppm until the WHO says the health crisis is over.
"The particles, they are in the air and they remain in the air for 12 to 48 hours," said Nancy Delgrave, scientific coordinator of the COVID-STOP group, who appeared with Rizqy during Wednesday's press conference.
"To reduce the contagion of respiratory viruses, and also to reduce their severity, it is important to treat the air," she said.
A VOW FROM THE FORMER MINISTER
Last year, then-Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge vowed to equip classrooms with CO2 detectors by the end of the 2022 school year, following concerns over air quality in schools.
At the time, the minister released a letter to directors general outlining his plans to require the readers in libraries, gymnasiums, daycare rooms and other spaces.
CTV News has reached out to the ministry for a status update on the rollout of the devices.
"Laying down a bill at this point is redundant, I believe," said Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers President Heidi Yetman.
She told CTV she would rather the province prioritize classroom repairs.
"We need to make sure the windows are able to open. We have to make sure that we have ventilation," she said.
-- Published with files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.