Will the Premier get prepared for the fall by improving ventilation in schools as Ontario is doing?

Good evidence now shows that improving ventilation in schools can dramatically reduce COVID-19 infections. See this scientific report at this link

Thursday May 27, I asked the Premier whether he would be preparing schools for the fall by taking measures to improve ventilation in schools in Manitoba. My question and his response (from Hansard) are below. Notwithstanding the Premier's statement that "some" money may be used for ventilation, there does not appear to be a real plan to increase school ventilation and humidity as a major effort.

COVID‑19 Spread Prevention
Ventilation Systems in Schools

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Deputy Speaker, improving ventilation in schools decreases transmission of COVID‑19, as I table. We called on the Premier to act on this last fall, but nothing was done. Air dilution methods, opening doors, opening windows and using fans have an effect, but combined with the installation of HEPA filters can reduce COVID‑19 infections by almost half–48 per cent.

Will the Premier use the summer to make improvements in ventilation and air filtration in Manitoba schools before fall classes start, much like Ontario is already doing? And will he also ensure sufficient humidification to get schools to an optimum relative humidity of 40 to 60, which should also reduce transmission?

Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Well, we've–this year's capital allocation for Education is part of our $1.6‑billion commitment.

The largest in Manitoba history is a quarter of a billion dollars for capital investments in our schools, and I can assure the member that some of those projects will relate to exactly what he just raised.

So the commitment to educational funding and support has never been greater than under this government.

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Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March. South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory. The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions. This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14. Manitoba ( red line ) started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then. South Dakota ( blue line ) has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4. Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.

Manitoba Liberal accomplishments

Examples of Manitoba Liberal accomplishments in the last three years Ensured that 2,000 Manitoba fishers were able to earn a living in 2020 (To see the full story click on this link ). Introduced a bill that includes retired teachers on the Pension Investment Board which governs their pension investments. Introduced amendments to ensure school aged children are included in childcare and early childhood education plans moving forward. Called for improvements in the management of the COVID pandemic: · We called for attention to personal care homes even before there was a single case in a personal care home. · We called for a rapid response team to address outbreaks in personal care homes months before the PCs acted. · We called for a science-based approach to preparing schools to improve ventilati...

The Gerrard Report

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