The St. Clair Catholic District School Board uses provincial and federal funding allocations to improve the efficiency of our heating and cooling systems, employing strategies to optimize ventilation and air circulation in classrooms and offices right across the district. 

Since 2020, the Board has invested $7.7 million to improve heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at all schools, funded through CVRIS (COVID Resilience Infrastructure Stream), school renewal and school condition improvement allocations.  In addition, the Board has expended a further $750,000 in operational maintenance costs. 

Improved ventilation is one strategy to improve air quality and reduce the risk of transmission of illness in indoor settings.  Projects include:

• Upgraded mechanical ventilation systems in classrooms, gymnasiums and libraries;

• New HVAC systems in schools with partial mechanical ventilation systems;

• Upgrading all mechanical filtration to MERV-13 filters, with filters changed every three months;

• Purchase and installation of portable air conditioners and high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units for classrooms in schools which are not air conditioned, to improve occupant comfort and lower classroom humidity;

• Install stand-alone HEPA air purification devices in classrooms and other spaces that have limited pre-existing mechanical ventilation;

• Purchase and installation of operable windows in classrooms with previously inoperable windows.

St. Clair Catholic has been upgrading school heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as part of the Board’s regular capital renewal plan for more than a decade. The Board takes a proactive approach to HVAC systems.  Ventilation systems are regularly updated or replaced. In addition, St. Clair Catholic maintains a comprehensive preventative maintenance program for HVAC equipment, to ensure ventilation systems are in good operating condition, with necessary repairs promptly identified and addressed.

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board’s Ventilation Profile Report, which includes mechanical ventilation strategies and investments, and the number of HEPA filters located within our schools, is posted on the Board website here: https://www.st-clair.net/broader-public-sector-accountability.aspx

Click on the file titled Ventilation Report – August 2022.