Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley says she will ensure all children, teachers and school staff have access to properly ventilated classrooms.
“Like most kids, my daughter tends to catch whatever is going around in her school,” Ganley said. “She needs to be in school, so do her peers and so do the teachers and staff.
“With the pandemic and the devastating wildfires we’ve seen in recent years, we know that so many factors can impact children's health and wellbeing. Protecting and enhancing ventilation in schools is a step the provincial government can take to ensure they are able to focus on learning and growing. This is important for their individual futures and the collective future of our economy.”
Ganley said her government would begin with testing air quality in schools — in instances where it wasn’t adequate, all necessary steps would be taken to rectify the situation.
“We know in cities where adequate ventilation has been installed in schools the rate of absence due to illness has decreased,” Ganley said. “We owe it to our kids, to our teachers and staff and to families to take these steps to protect their lives and quality of life.”
“The future of Alberta depends on ensuring that the students in our schools have the best possible opportunity to succeed and their health is a critical piece of the puzzle. I’m proud to be leading a team that prioritizes healthy communities and ensuring that public schools provide equal opportunity for everyone.”