KAWARTHA LAKES-The Trillium Lakelands District School Board received $7,485,000 in funding from the Federal and Provincial governments in the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream-Education Related Projects (CVRIS-EDU), as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).
In April, the Government of Canada announced plans to invest $525.2 million towards projects through the program, in addition, the Government of Ontario confirmed its contribution of more than $131.4 million to projects across Ontario.
Approximately 44 line items or individual requests were approved by the school board of the nearly 200 that were requested and summarized below.
- Bottle filling stations – 12 locations. (removal of drinking fountains)
- Infrared water faucets c.w. new stainless sinks where required – 12 locations.
- Ventilation improvements (new air handling units, ductwork), air conditioning where designated, and new windows – 31 locations
- Portable replacement – 1 location
“We are ensuring air is being exchanged, and fresh air is entering occupied spaces. Building fresh air was increased where possible through building automation systems to maximize ventilation rates. These increases were confirmed by reviewing damper positioning visually.” said the board on it’s website.
TLDSB says it instituted “air flushes” of all spaces that receive mechanical ventilation before occupants enter the buildings. It’s done daily by having mechanical systems operate in ‘occupied’ mode starting at 6 a.m. before students enter the building. Occupied mode remains in effect until 11:59 p.m.
Portable HEPA filter units were provided in accordance with Ministry direction, which includes schools without mechanical ventilation and in Kindergarten spaces regardless of the ventilation system in place.
Several schools had duct sealing take place in ventilation systems. Aerosolized duct sealing is designed to eliminate air leakage from ductwork, resulting in better HVAC efficiency, increased ventilation, and improved filtration. Buildings eligible for duct sealing can potentially see an average increased airflow of 25 to 45 percent according to the board.
In 2020/21 MERV 13 filters were installed in all existing and any new ventilation systems to ensure a higher particulate removal rate and increased frequency of filter changes.
Canada and Ontario’s deadline for completing all projects is December 31, 2021
