Manitoba school ventilation projects might not clear the air of COVID-19, expert says
CBC
Jeffrey Siegel says he gets frustrated when cost issues dominate the discussion around improving ventilation in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic's fourth wave.
"Every dollar that Manitoba doesn't spend on improving schools, you're paying for in other ways down the road many times over," said Siegel, a professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto and an expert on indoor air quality.
Manitoba has issued guidance around ventilation in schools and committed tens of millions of dollars to more than a dozen ventilation-related projects across the province — but Siegel says it may not be enough.
Since the start of the pandemic, doctors, teachers and parents have called on the province to take action to improve ventilation and filtration in schools in order to reduce the chances of COVID-19 transmission.
Manitoba's government has committed funding to ventilation and filtration projects at 14 schools, worth a total of $20.4 million, between now and summer 2023, with another $40 million going to school divisions to be used on other health and safety improvements.
That level of funding and number of projects "can't be adequate" in a province with more than 800 school facilities, Siegel said.
It may also fall short of efforts made in other jurisdictions such as Ontario and cities like Vancouver, which have either completed or are in process of upgrading air systems in all schools.
A man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Toronto mother outside a supervised consumption site in Leslieville.
Russian olive trees — sometimes known as silver berry or oleaster — are small, ornamental plants with silvery leaves and black bark, and small yellow flowers and silver fruit that look like miniature olives. They’re pretty, but they’re a problem.
The Yukon Legislative Assembly’s fall sitting ended on Thursday after the territorial government introduced and passed a supplementary budget.
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, who stands accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was involved in an investigation into allegations that a leading Canadian defence journalist was a longtime Russian asset.
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
People won't be able to travel along B.C.'s Highway 3 without significant delays and detours over the holiday season, says the Ministry of Transportation.
Photos of a wooden box, allegedly used for student "time outs" at an elementary school in Akwesasne, drew shock and anger from parents this week and have prompted an investigation by the school district.
A 26-year-old man from Toronto has been arrested on terrorism charges, police announced on Friday, as well as charges for two attempted kidnappings in the Greater Toronto Area.
St. Jude’s Anglican Church in Iqaluit has fallen on tough financial times.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a large shuffle of deputy ministers and senior public servants in a shake-up at the top of the public service that has long been expected around Ottawa.
Alberta's declining COVID-19 vaccination rate is sparking more concern as it becomes clear how uptake in the province compares to other parts of the country.
Drivers faced treacherous road conditions Friday morning as tempuratures started to drop below freezing following a night of rain.
A cold front is sweeping through the Greater Toronto Area Friday morning, according to a special weather statement by Environment Canada.