Major work on ventilation systems in two public schools in Tantramar should be completed in 2025, says the department of education.
A $1.4 million project has been ongoing at Marshview Middle School to install ventilation to classrooms which were not previously ventilated, says Department spokesperson Charles Renshaw. The work should be completed in early 2025.
Dorchester Consolidated School will have mechanical ventilation installed in all classrooms, with a total project estimate of $1.3 million. The first phase included an electrical upgrade, and the project will be completed during the summer of 2025.
Marshview Middle School and Dorchester Consolidated School have been flagged for indoor air quality issues since 2021, when testing showed peak levels of carbon dioxide above 1500 parts per million. That means staff and students have been breathing “stale air” according to U of T epidemiologist Colin Furness.
In 2022, Marshview hit 3914 parts per million, the highest of the 37 schools tested that year. Dorchester Consolidated showed peak levels of 2916 parts per million. For comparison, outdoor air is about 400 parts per million in carbon dioxide, according to Furness.
