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
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.