New funding of up to $26.5 million has been made available to school boards through the federal-provincial shared Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to support additional ventilation improvements in schools. Eligible expenses recognize the diverse ventilation needs in schools across the province, and include:
• Retrofits, repairs, upgrades and installation of HVAC infrastructure -- prioritizing school spaces without mechanical ventilation
• Maintenance and recommissioning of HVAC systems
• Purchase and installation of mechanical ventilation filters
• Purchase of stand-alone high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter units and filters

The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) has been allocated $310,638 in ICIP ventilation maximum projected federal funding and $77,659 in ICIP ventilation matching from existing provincial funding. The funding will be used for ventilation expenses (e.g., filter upgrades) from April 2022 to March 2023.