Schools and Buses Capped at 26°C

Summary#

This bill changes the Education Act to set a maximum indoor temperature in Ontario schools and school buses. It requires every school to have a plan to reduce heat risks and to prepare for extreme heat events. The goal is to protect students and education workers from heat and to keep learning conditions safe.

• Sets a maximum of 26°C inside school buildings whenever students, teachers, education workers, or other workers are present.
• Sets a maximum of 26°C inside school buses used to transport students.
• Requires each school board to create and update every year a heat mitigation strategy (a plan to reduce heat risks) for each school, in consultation with the Joint Health and Safety Committee (a worker–management safety committee).
• The strategy must cover installing and maintaining mechanical cooling systems, adapting buildings and outdoor spaces, using passive cooling options, and giving guidance to staff and parents on signs of heat stress and what actions to take.
• Requires an emergency plan for each school for extreme temperatures, including how the school will communicate and an evacuation plan.
• Requires the Minister of Education to review boards’ strategies, identify gaps and inequities, and publish a public report at least every three years on progress and needs.
• Timing: The law starts one year after it receives Royal Assent.

What it means for you#

• Students and parents

  • Classrooms and school buses are to be kept at or below 26°C during school use.
  • Schools will provide guidance on spotting heat stress and what steps to take.
  • In extreme heat, schools will follow an emergency plan, which includes how they will communicate and when evacuation may occur.

• Teachers and education workers

  • Workplaces must be kept at or below 26°C while occupied.
  • Joint Health and Safety Committees must be consulted on each school’s heat plan.
  • You should receive guidance on identifying and responding to heat stress.

• School boards and school administrators

  • You must ensure temperatures do not exceed 26°C in school buildings and buses in use.
  • You must create and update annual heat mitigation strategies for each school, covering cooling systems, building and yard adaptations, passive cooling, and staff/parent guidance.
  • You must create and maintain an extreme heat emergency plan, including communications and evacuation.
  • Your strategies will be reviewed by the Minister, who may make recommendations and will report publicly on progress, gaps, and needs.

• School bus operators (including contractors)

  • Buses used to transport students must be operated at or below 26°C, which may require cooling equipment or other measures.

• Ministry of Education

  • You must review board strategies, identify gaps and inequities across boards, and publish a report at least every three years on progress toward the temperature limits and on boards’ capacity and needs.

• What is unclear

  • The bill does not explain how temperature will be measured (for example, where in a room or how often), what happens if targets are missed, or how compliance will be enforced.
  • The bill does not specify funding or who pays for upgrades in buildings or buses.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

• The bill would likely create costs for school boards to install, upgrade, and maintain mechanical cooling (e.g., air conditioning or heat pumps), adapt buildings and outdoor spaces, and monitor temperatures.
• Bus operators may face costs to add or upgrade cooling and to monitor bus temperatures.
• Boards may have training and communication costs for staff and parents, and costs to plan and run emergency responses.
• The Ministry may face staffing and analysis costs to review strategies and produce public reports.
• The bill does not state any new fines, fees, or dedicated funding.

Proponents' View#

• The bill appears intended to protect students’ and workers’ health by setting a clear maximum indoor temperature and requiring plans to prevent and respond to extreme heat.
• It could improve learning conditions, since heat can affect concentration and performance.
• Mandating annual school-level strategies and emergency plans may make schools better prepared before heat waves occur.
• Consulting Joint Health and Safety Committees ensures worker safety input.
• Regular ministerial reviews and public reports could improve accountability and highlight gaps and inequities so they can be addressed.

Opponents' View#

• One concern is feasibility: keeping older schools and buses at or below 26°C during heat waves may be difficult, which could lead to disruptions or evacuations.
• The bill does not specify funding or timelines for upgrades, which may strain school board budgets and bus contractors.
• It is unclear how temperatures will be measured, who verifies compliance, and what consequences apply if limits are exceeded.
• Meeting the temperature cap may increase energy use and operating costs.
• While the Minister must identify inequities, the bill does not include direct remedies (such as targeted funding), so differences among boards may persist.