Two local politicians and a major education union are calling on the province to help schools without air conditioning.
Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates, and ETFO Niagara President, Brian Barker, are calling on the Ford government to ensure school children and staff are protected from what they are calling the 'dangerously overheated' schools in Niagara.
“This week we are witnessing in real time the danger of having so many schools without proper air conditioning,” said Gates. “I’ve heard from parents and educators who are seriously concerned. In some cases, temperatures in classrooms have been over 30 degrees. We have to do better for our kids”.
Niagara schools without air conditioning have been facing scorching temperatures this week, and to make matters worse, rolling power outages have left some schools without the use of fans.
“With many classrooms having temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, not only is it a barrier to learning, but it also puts students, educators and support staff at increased health risk”, said Brian Barker, ETFO Niagara President. “It wouldn’t be acceptable for our hospitals or government buildings to expect the workers or community members accessing those buildings to deal with those extremes. Why do we expect children and educators to?"
Meantime, St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens is also urging the provincial government to take immediate action to ensure the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.
"I have reached out to each of Niagara Teachers Associations and heard countless concerns from teachers and parents about the extreme heat in our schools," said Stevens. "Just this week, a concerned parent shared how her young daughter suffered from heat stress and had to be kept home from school. This is unacceptable."
The Ontario NDP has called on the government this week to take action right across the province to address the on-going heat issue in our schools.