Ontario schools getting $656.5 million for HVAC retrofits, other upgrades

Schools across Ontario are getting hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal and Ontario governments to upgrade HVAC systems and carry out other renovations to protect students and teachers from COVID-19.

The two governments announced $656.5 million on April 14 to be split across the 74 school boards throughout the province, with the vast majority going to pay for ventilation projects to improve air quality in classrooms.

The $525.2 million in federal funding come from the COVID-19 Resilience stream of the 12-year Investing in Canada Plan. Ontario, meanwhile is contributing $131.3 million.

Along with air quality improvements, other school projects include the installation of water bottle refilling stations, improvements to internet connections, and building new walls or doorways to enhance social distancing.

Update: Following up the school funding announcement April 14, Ottawa and Queen’s Park committed $99.4 million to similar upgrades as long-term care homes April 16. The joint funding will cover improvements to HVAC systems and sprinkler systems at 95 long-term care facilities throughout the province.