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1076 - 4/29/2021 10:15:56 AM  

Investing in Guelph & Wellington County Schools To Protect Against COVID-19
 

Investing in Guelph and Wellington County schools to protect against COVID-19 

For Immediate Release - April 15, 2021 

The  health and safety of Canadians are top priorities for the  governments of Canada and Ontario. Communities across Canada are on the frontlines of the COVID-19  pandemic, and requires immediate assistance to ensure their public infrastructure is safe and reliable. 

That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and  communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done in these unprecedented times.  

Yesterday, Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, Randy Pettapiece, Member of Provincial  Parliament for Perth-Wellington, along with the Upper Grand District School Board’s Martha Rogers,  Director of Education, and the Wellington Catholic District School Board’s Michael Glazier, Director of  Education, announced joint funding for Guelph and Wellington County to protect students and staff  from COVID-19. 

“Students, teachers, and staff deserve to learn and work in safe, modern learning spaces, and these  investments will improve the safety of schools and classrooms in Guelph-Wellington and across Ontario  by improving air quality and the touchless water fountains that will help to reduce the airborne and  surface transfer of COVID-19.”   Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph  


Together the funding announced will support 87 individual schools in their Boards.  

The Upper Grand District School Board will receive a total of $10,969,000 with the Government of  Canada investing $8,775,200 and the Government of Ontario investing $1,193,800. 

“The Upper Grand District School Board is very happy to receive this funding. We will continue to make  improvements to the ventilation systems in several of our schools, which will support our immediate  and long-term needs. Our Board will focus on HVAC renovations and upgrades to the Building Control  Systems, which will help improve the indoor learning environments for our students and staff.”  Martha Rogers, Director of Education for the Upper Grand District School Board 

The Wellington  Catholic District School Board will receive a total of $1,999,490 towards these projects with the  Government of Canada investing $1,599,568 and the Government of Ontario contributing $399,892  through the COVID-19 Resilience stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.  

“We are grateful for the support provided by the Federal and Provincial Government through this  funding announcement. Student and staff safety is of paramount importance to us and this funding will  continue to add to the investments being made in our schools to ensure this outcome is achieved.  Upgrades, such as touchless taps in each of our schools, will help promote safety and good health for all.  We look forward to having these projects underway shortly so our students and staff can enjoy their  benefits.”  Mike Glazier – Director of Education for the Wellington Catholic District School Board

The projects will include upgrades to ventilation systems, improvements to plumbing that will allow for  better hand hygiene and touchless water refill stations as well as partitions and HVAC improvements to  ensure the reduction of transmission and to improve air quality for students, staff and teachers.  

On April 14, 2021, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the  Honourable Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure for Ontario, and the Honourable Stephen Lecce,  Minister of Education for Ontario, announced $656.5 million in joint funding through the COVID-19  Resilience Stream to support over 9,800 projects at almost 3,900 schools and co-located childcare  facilities across 74 school boards in Ontario. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the wellbeing of students, parents and teachers. As  we continue to battle this crisis, ensuring a safe learning environment for our kids is critical. That’s why  the Government of Canada is investing 80 cents on every dollar for a total of over $500 million to make  schools across Ontario safer for students and teachers. These projects will improve air quality, install  more hand washing stations and support better physical distancing. They are part of the federal  government's support to help Canadians get through the pandemic safely, create good jobs across the  province, and build stronger, more resilient communities.”   The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities 

The majority of funding will support ventilation projects that improve air quality in classrooms across  the province. Projects include HVAC renovations to improve air quality, installing water bottle refilling  stations to improve access to safe drinking water, investing in network and broadband infrastructure to  support remote learning, and space reconfigurations such as new walls and doors to enhance physical  distancing. 

The COVID-19 stream, implemented in response to the pandemic, allows Government of Canada to  invest up to 80% in projects that support provinces and up to 100% in projects that support territories  and Indigenous communities in their response to the pandemic. 

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