Advocacy group calls for relief measures for Guelph schools without air conditioning

Ten schools within the Upper Grand District School Board lack air conditioning as warmer temperatures rise in Guelph and the surrounding area.

With warmer temperatures on the way in Guelph, a children’s health advocate group is seeking relief for students and teachers across Canada who are stuck in classrooms without air conditioning.

Currently, there are 10 schools in the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) that do not have air conditioning.

Erica Phipps, executive director of the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE), said there’s an urgency to address the issue.

“Now is the time to make the plans, make the investments. Set the schedule for school upgrades and start chipping away at that backlog and that need for adequate cooling across all schools.”

According to a recent report from the CPCHE, data shows that extreme heat affects a child’s health and learning ability.

Heather Loney, spokesperson for the UGDSB, said retrofitting older buildings is a challenge.

Loney said the aging infrastructure poses some challenges when it comes to installing air conditioning in older buildings, including Victory Public School, which is over 100 years old.

“The infrastructure of putting air conditioning into a building such as that would be very different from a school that was built a few years ago,” Loney said.