Ontario to provide 49,000 more HEPA filters for schools, child-care settings

Ontario is set to provide 49,000 additional standalone HEPA filter units to schools and child care centres.

In a statement issued Monday, the minister of education said as Ontario gradually lifts COVID-19 safety measures, the province remains committed to strengthening the protections in environments where students learn and staff work.

“Since the start of the school year, this government made ventilation improvements a critical priority. We have ensured that every publicly funded school’s ventilation system was optimized with the highest-grade filters, in addition to the previously committed 73,000 HEPA filter units and other ventilation devices,” said Stephen Lecce in the statement. “Ontario has more HEPA units in schools than all provinces combined.”

The statement says up to 40,000 more air purifiers will be made available to school boards and up to 9,000 will go to child-care settings.

Lecce says ventilation improvements are a critical priority.

He says the additional HEPA filters will benefit roughly one million more children in schools and child care settings.

The Ministry of Education will reach out to school boards and child-care centres about delivery and use of the filters.