York Region school boards receive $32M to protect against COVID-19

The York Region District School Board will receive more than $15.1 million and the York Catholic District School Board $17.7 million

Newmarkettoday.ca
April 19, 2021

Joint investments by the federal and provincial governments totalling more than $32 million will help York Region's schools upgrade infrastructure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The York Region District School Board is to receive more than $15.1 million and the York Catholic District School Board $17.7 million, according to a news release from Newmarket-Aurora MPP Christine Elliott.

The funding supports building retrofits, updates and upgrades to schools and co-located child care facilities. Projects can include HVAC renovations to improve air quality, installing water bottle refilling stations to improve access to safe drinking water, and space reconfigurations such as new walls and doors to enhance physical distancing.

“Protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians is our government’s top priority, and we are using every tool at our disposal to keep children, families and education staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announced today will be used to enhance infrastructure in schools across Newmarket and Aurora, ensuring that they continue to be safe and productive environments for our children to learn now and in the future," Elliott said.

Supported by provincial funding, 95 per cent of Ontario schools have reported upgrades or enhancements to their air filtration systems, with over 40,000 HEPA filters and other ventilation devices in classrooms, the news release states.

The Government of Canada is investing up to $525.2 million toward these projects through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of Ontario is contributing $131.3 million to the projects.

“Ontario’s government is focused on protecting the lives of students, staff, and their families. We put a plan into action that leads the nation --delivering air ventilation improvements to over 95 per cent of schools, 7,000 additional staff, and improved cleaning, testing, and stronger screening. This one-time investment will help improve the safety of schools, building upon Ontario’s annual investment of over $1.4 billion to maintain schools and $550 million to build new schools," Education Minister Stephen Lecce said.