Following the carbon monoxide leak that sent dozens of students and staff to hospital this week, the provincial government is going to make CO detectors mandatory in schools.

Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Friday that the province is taking steps to require schools and school boards to install carbon monoxide detectors.

"Each building will have to acquire them immediately. Air quality tests and heating system tests will also be required," said Roberge. “Carbon monoxide detectors are cheap, it's not a high cost and we have to be sure the air quality is good and doing tests is not something we can't afford. We have to do that.”

Quebec's building code does not require carbon monoxide detectors, although they are recommended in buildings that have oil, natural gas, or wood-burning heating.

Roberge said he urges all schools and buildings to acquire the equipment by Tuesday Jan. 22, and not wait for the official notice of a regulation change.

“I think within three weeks, the regulation will be changed and there will be an obligation, but I'm pretty sure the administrations and the school boards will act really fast,” he said.

On Monday, Jan. 14, nine students collapsed because of a carbon monoxide leak at Ecole des Decouvreurs in LaSalle.

More than 40 people were taken to hospital to be treated for CO poisoning, and one child remained in intensive care as of Friday.

Firefighters said the problem was caused by a heating system that released carbon monoxide into the school, and that when they arrived, CO levels were five times the level that usually triggers an evacuation.

Officials from the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board said there were carbon monoxide detectors inside the school and that they had been tested in October.