Dear Editor:
I was dismayed when I learned that there are 11 public schools in the Upper Grand District School Board that have no air conditioning.
This means that during extreme heat events, which we know are increasing in number and severity due to climate change, the students in these schools are at a disadvantage for learning compared to those in schools where students can concentrate on learning instead of suffering from the negative effects of heat.
The board has agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and concrete actions need to be taken to achieve these goals. One such action is to install heat pumps in newly-constructed schools and a plan to retrofit existing schools with them. Heat pumps provide both heat and air conditioning. The 11 public schools currently without air conditioning should be a priority for installing heat pumps.
It is time for the board to seriously work to “get fossil fuels out of schools,” which is the current campaign on the Get Involved Guelph website. The school board needs to take its commitment to address climate change seriously.
Margaret Stewart,
Guelph