COVID-19: Experts said #Canada’s #schools need better #ventilation in 2020.
Experts agree #indoorairquality in schools affects student learning and health.
Experts also agree that ventilation is key to helping quell the risk of COVID-19 indoors.
Have the Provinces acted?
British Columbia, officials have said that the Vancouver School Board's central HVAC and ventilation systems have all been upgraded with MERV 13 filters in every school in that district. But has not provided information about any of the other 59 school districts. 2021
Alberta. Ventilation in Schools
In spring 2022, the CBE upgraded to MERV 13 filters in schools wherever possible. These filters continue to be utilized this school year and are changed more frequently. cbe.ab.ca/about-us/schoo…
Saskatchewan. In January 2021, #Regina Public Schools announced the completed installation of new air filtration systems in all its facilities. imperial.rbe.sk.ca/enhanced_venti…
Do you have additional information on the other areas of Saskatchewan re: public schools ventilation systems?
Manitoba. November 25, 2021 The Manitoba government is providing $6.8 million in additional funding to improve school ventilation with priority given to schools in regions with higher levels of community transmission.
Alberta. Calgary. Inside these parents’ long, nerdy struggle over how to improve air quality in Calgary schools. Are portable HEPA filters an answer? Edmonton public schools got them a year ago; Calgary boards aren’t convinced. cbc.ca/newsinteractiv…
New Brunswick. Adding ventilation systems to schools www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en…
Feb 26, 2023 Air quality tests underway at 37 N.B. schools that had high CO2 results last year. cbc.ca/news/canada/ne…
Nova Scotia. Jan. 13, 2022 The province has bought small HEPA filtration units for 71 schools that have no ventilation systems in order to reduce air particulates such as the COVID-19 virus. saltwire.com/atlantic-canad…
Prince Edward Island. Dec 2022 Yes, portable HEPA filters have been installed in schools lacking mechanical ventilation. Ventilation systems will be maintained to appropriate industry standards. princeedwardisland.ca/en/information…
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Help required.
Newfoundland and Labrador. Continue to ensure all mechanical heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are working properly. Schools should follow the established Natural Ventilation Policy. gov.nl.ca/covid-19/files…
Northwest Territories announces $4 million in ventilation funding. The Paul William Kaeser High School in Fort Smith will receive a new ventilation system. gov.nt.ca/sites/flagship…
Yukon Territory. August 2022 Every Yukon school was equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifiers for each classroom-sized space by the first day of school, according to the Education department. yukon-news.com/news/559-hepa-…
2020 The federal government announced up to $2 billion in support through the Safe Return to Class Fund. This funding was used by provinces and territories to help create these new learning spaces fitted to suit the new health and safety requirements etc. pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-r…
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#cdnpoli Poilievre and Trump, like many cons, all populists and fascists profess #antiintellectualism. For Poilievre it may come from taking 10 yrs to complete a 3 yr University degree program. Or perhaps it's just populist rhetoric that fits into his common people narrative.
Also in Poilievre's case consider who his mentors are.
The scientific method is a logically stepped process. And #antiintellectualism is common among rural and religious people who rely on anecdotal 'evidence' (hearsay) that's rooted in tradition, faith, personal experience, intuition, and 'authority' to arrive at conclusions.
One of the main reasons for the #skilledtradesshortage in Canada is the demographic shift that has been occurring in recent years. Many skilled tradespeople are reaching retirement age, and there are not enough younger workers to fill the gap.
So, what’s causing this looming #tradespersonshortage? Here are some of the main contributory factors:
1. An ageing workforce in the skilled trades; 2. Lack of diversity in the sector (there aren’t anywhere near enough women qualified to perform trade jobs); 3. Lack of workers with the right qualification to meet labour demand in growing industries like retrofitting homes and green new building construction.
The same can be said for other countries as well.
Examples:
Europe is also facing a future where over a quarter of all people will be past retirement age, while education and training systems have not focused on the skills which are needed to replace retiring workers. European countries are facing particularly severe shortages of skilled workers for in trades and construction such as bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, welders, and sheet metal workers.
In the UK there are a growing number of vacancies for builders and other skilled tradespeople, combined with a shortage of the right qualifications, this is causing a skilled trades shortfall. It's estimated the UK needs nearly a million new recruits in trades and construction over the next decade. At the same time demand is soaring, creating a perfect storm which threatens homeowners, businesses and the national economy.
Ireland: same issues on a different scale. Just like the UK, cost managers are in particular demand while in the trades, bricklayers, plasterers, and decorators are in short supply. Semi-skilled workers like steel fixers, concrete workers, and dry liners are also scarce.
A new report highlighted the current lack of skilled tradespeople and labourers to retrofit exiting homes and build new homes. More than 60pc of construction firms are experiencing difficulties recruiting machine operators and skilled tradespeople.
México, for example, has begun to suffer from a lack of talent, particularly in areas such as construction, information technology and technology in general, and commerce. Projections suggest that 68% of companies may face difficulty finding the necessary talent in Mexico in the coming year. The issue extends beyond a regional level, with experts highlighting both nearshoring (a form of offshoring in which an organization recruits employees from a neighboring country to complete services) and talent scarcity as global concerns. mexicobusiness.news/talent/news/sk…
Although the Constitution grants the provinces authority over housing policy and programs, all levels of government in Canada are involved in housing. The obligation to ensure the right to housing under international law applies not only to the federal government but also to provincial, territorial and municipal governments, and to all public administrators, tribunals and inter-governmental bodies in Canada.
Until the 1990s, Ottawa did build and maintain social housing. Now, its main role is limited to providing funding to provincial and municipal governments for affordable housing and for programs that address homelessness. The federal government is also responsible for on-reserve housing.
The National Housing Act # NHA is the primary federal law concerning housing in Canada. More specifically, it is intended to promote the construction of new houses, the repair and modernization of existing houses, and the improvement of housing and living conditions.
Local govt municipal authority and jurisdiction flows downward from Provincial statutes and it's the local govt at the municipal level that provides zoning for housing or not.
n 2018, federal, provincial and territorial ministers agreed to a multilateral Housing Partnership Framework which outlines “a shared vision for housing and sets the foundation for bilateral agreements on the delivery of key National Housing Strategy initiatives.” housingrightscanada.com/wp-content/upl… cmhc-schl.gc.ca/nhs/federal-pr…
#HousingAcceleratorFund
10 Housing Accelerator Fund best practices
1. End exclusionary zoning
▶️Stop low-density zoning and regulation that excludes housing types such as affordable and social housing in residential areas.
▶️Encourage high density by allowing mixed-use development and high-density residential as-of-right within proximity to urban cores and transit corridors.
▶️This includes adopting by-laws to adopt more as-of-right zoning measures, from the number of units to storeys.
2. Make municipally owned lands available for housing through strategies such as disposition, acquisition and/or pre-development.
3. Increase process efficiency by implementing new technologies or software to speed up development approvals, such as e-permitting.
4. Prioritized/enhanced development approval process for rental and affordable housing.
5. Comprehensive review of development charges and fee schedules including waivers, with a focus on permits associated with affordable housing.
6. Reduce or eliminate parking standards to increase project viability, density and reduce carbon footprint.
7. Eliminate restrictions related to height, setbacks, building floor area and others to allow a greater variety in housing types, including accessory dwelling units.
8. Develop affordable housing community improvement plans or strategies/plans for the rapid deployment of affordable housing.
9. Design and implement guidelines or pre-approved building plans for missing middle housing or specific accessory dwelling unit types such as laneway housing or garden suites.
10. Develop grant programs encouraging the development of housing types that align with the Housing Accelerator Fund such as missing middle, row homes, purpose-built rental and/or that promote new/innovative construction techniques (modular, pre-fab, mass timber construction, etc.).cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/…
Olive oil, coffee and even potatoes are among the dozens of crops also facing serious climate risks. Scientists have previously said that global heating drives a higher risk of simultaneous harvest failures across major crop-producing regions, threatening global food security. Researchers are scouring the planet for hardier varieties of common staples.
Spain is the world's largest producer, manufacturing almost half of the world's olive oil. At first glance, Italy is often thought to be the world's largest producer of olive oil. But the reality is that Spain leads its production. Spain produces more than 1.5 million tons of olive oil each year, representing about 40% of world production. On the other hand, production in Italy represents 20%.
Climate change-related drought, heat, and wildfires across much of Mediterranean Europe have resulted in shortages of olive oil in stores, with an influx of fake products filling the vacuum.
Why olive oil prices are soaring and what to do about itbbc.com/travel/article…
Coffee is grown in three regions of India. The increase in coffee prices has accelerated due to factors like unseasonal rainfall, a labor shortage, and growing demand, particularly among urban youth after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts. The unseasonal rainfall has caused damage to coffee crops, and a shortage of labor has slowed down the harvest process. Jan 22, 2024 economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-…
#Carbonpricing is about recognizing the cost of pollution and accounting for those costs in our daily decisions. Taking action to reduce emissions by choosing less carbon-intensive options for energy production, home heating and transportation means Canadians will save money too. Feb 14, 2024
The #carbontax, also known as a price on carbon, came into effect at $20 per tonne in 2019. It has steadily climbed in the years since and is scheduled to rise from $65 per tonne to $80 on April 1. It is scheduled to go up another $15 each year until 2030, when it reaches $170 a tonne.
Provinces and territories of Canada are allowed to create their own system of #carbonpricing as long as they comply with the minimum requirements set by the federal government; individual provinces and territories thus may have a higher tax than the federally mandated one but not a lower one.
Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR) The Canada Carbon Rebate (formerly known as the Climate action incentive payment (CAIP)) is a tax-free amount to help eligible individuals and families offset the cost of the federal pollution pricing. It consists of a basic amount and a supplement for residents of small and rural communities.
Virtually everybody who lives in the eight provinces where the federal carbon tax applies is eligible for the rebates. British Columbia and Quebec are excluded because they have their own carbon-pricing systems. The territories also have different systems when it comes to carbon pricing and rebates.canada.ca/en/revenue-age…
Who started carbon tax in Canada?
In 2008, the province of British Columbia introduced North America's first revenue-neutral carbon tax applied to the purchase or use of fuel in British Columbia. The carbon tax has been hailed as the most comprehensive of its kind, covering approximately 70% of provincial emissions.
Since the tax is revenue neutral, every dollar generated is returned to British Columbians in the form of personal and business tax measures, such as reductions in personal income tax rates, the Low Income Climate Action Tax Credit and corporate income tax reductions.
The B.C. #climateactiontaxcredit is a quarterly payment that helps offset the impact of the carbon taxes paid by individuals and families. A single person can now receive as much as $447 per year, more than double what they received in 2022. A family of four now receives as much as $893.50 per year.
An estimated 70% of families and individuals who are eligible to get the quarterly payments from the Province can expect the maximum amounts. The income ceiling for the credit will increase annually, with a goal to reach 80% of households in B.C. by 2030.
Budget 2024 proposes to increase the B.C. climate action tax credit amounts and thresholds effective July 1, 2024. Climate action tax credit payments are non-taxable. This means you don't include it as income when you file your T1 Income Tax and Benefit Return. news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024F… www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/ta…
Canada's #climatepolicies are #reducingemissions, report finds. As the Liberals survive a Conservative non-confidence vote to topple the government over the #carbontax, a new report from the Canadian Climate Institute shows that the price on carbon is actually working to reduce emissions. #cdnpoli #cdnpoliticscbc.ca/player/play/1.…
Based on modelling by Navius Research, the analysis found that, by 2030, all existing climate policies in Canada combined will prevent 226 megatonnes of carbon pollution—roughly equal to the total annual emissions of Ontario and Quebec. March 21/24 climateinstitute.ca/news/industria…
Industrial #carbonpricing systems are the single biggest driver of emissions reductions in 2030, and can be even more impactful if design is improved. 440megatonnes.ca/insight/indust…