Bill 140 explained in plain English
Improving Air Quality for Our Children Act, 2023
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 140 requires Ontario schools and child care providers to install CO2 monitors in all classrooms and shared spaces, report levels weekly to the Ministry, and comply with an Air Quality Action Plan to maintain air quality at or below 600 parts per million above outdoor levels.
Bill 140, the Improving Air Quality for Our Children Act, 2023, requires publicly funded schools and licensed child care providers in Ontario to install carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors in all classrooms and shared spaces. The monitors must meet specific technical standards and be installed in particular locations within rooms. Schools and child care providers must report CO2 levels to the Ministry of Education weekly. The bill sets a maximum safe CO2 level of 600 parts per million above outdoor levels. The Ministry must publish these reports on a website using a colour-coded system (green, yellow, red) to show air quality. When CO2 levels exceed safe thresholds, schools and child care centres must report what steps they are taking to fix the problem. The Ministry of Education must create an Air Quality Action Plan within 60 days that explains what temporary, intermediate, and long-term measures should be taken to improve air quality, and must provide guidance and educational resources to schools, child care providers, and parents. The bill comes into force three months after receiving Royal Assent.
- Requires every publicly-funded school and licensed child care provider to install carbon dioxide monitors in every classroom and congregate space (portables, gymnasiums, change rooms, auditoriums, cafeterias, music rooms, libraries, staff rooms, and main offices)
- Sets specific monitor requirements: must have NDIR sensors, visible display panels, be placed between 1.3 and 1.5 metres above the floor, away from ventilation equipment/windows/doors, and at least 1.5 metres from occupants
- Requires monitors to be recalibrated at least once per year
- Establishes a maximum CO2 threshold of 600 parts per million above outdoor CO2 levels
- Requires weekly reporting of average daily CO2 levels and the percentage of time levels exceed the maximum threshold
- Makes the Ministry of Education responsible for publishing CO2 reports on its website using a colour-coded system (green for 200+ ppm below threshold, yellow for within 200 ppm, red for at or above threshold)
- Requires schools and child care centres to report to the Ministry what measures they have taken when CO2 levels exceed the maximum threshold
- Requires the Ministry to develop an Air Quality Action Plan within 60 days that includes temporary, intermediate, and long-term measures to address high CO2 levels
- Requires the Air Quality Action Plan to include guidance on products, qualifications, responsibilities, when to use different measures, and educational resources for school boards, principals, teachers, child care workers, health and safety committees, parents, and children
- Makes school boards responsible for ensuring schools comply with the Air Quality Action Plan
- Gives the Minister power to make regulations about non-compliance measures including warnings and penalties
- Brings the Act into force three months after Royal Assent
- Publicly-funded schools in Ontario
- Licensed child care providers in Ontario
- School boards
- Teachers and education workers
- Child care workers
- Students and children in schools and child care facilities
- Parents of children in schools and child care facilities
- Ministry of Education
- Workplace health and safety committees in schools
- Schools and child care providers must install CO2 monitors in all classrooms and congregate spaces within three months of Royal Assent
- Schools and child care providers must recalibrate monitors at least once per year
- Schools and child care providers must report weekly to the Ministry with average daily CO2 levels and percentage of time levels exceed the threshold
- Schools and child care providers must report to the Ministry what measures they have taken when CO2 levels exceed the maximum threshold
- School boards must ensure schools install monitors and monitor compliance with the Air Quality Action Plan
- The Ministry of Education must publish CO2 reports and raw data on its website using a colour-coded system
- The Ministry of Education must develop an Air Quality Action Plan within 60 days
- The Ministry of Education must publish the Air Quality Action Plan on its website and distribute it to school boards and child care centres
- The Minister of Education may make regulations prescribing measures for non-compliance
- The Act comes into force three months after it receives Royal Assent
- The Air Quality Action Plan must be developed no more than 60 days after the section establishing it comes into force
- The bill does not specify who will pay for the installation of CO2 monitors, annual recalibration, or equipment replacement
- The bill does not specify funding for the Ministry to develop the Air Quality Action Plan, publish data, or provide educational resources
- The bill does not specify the cost of temporary, intermediate, or long-term air quality improvements schools and child care centres may need to implement
- The bill grants the Minister of Education power to make regulations prescribing measures for non-compliance, including warnings, penalties, and measures to bring about compliance
- The specific penalties and enforcement mechanisms are not detailed in the bill text itself but will be set out in future regulations to be created by the Minister
- The bill does not specify which government level (provincial, board, school, or private sector) is responsible for paying for monitors and equipment
- The bill does not specify the cost or detailed timeline for schools and child care providers to complete installations
- The bill does not define what constitutes 'proper' installation beyond the four physical placement requirements listed
- The bill does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance; these will be set out in future regulations by the Minister
- The bill does not specify the exact format or frequency of reporting between schools/child care providers and the Ministry beyond 'at least once per week'
- The bill does not specify how outdoor CO2 levels will be measured or reported by region
- The bill does not clarify the responsibilities of school boards versus schools versus child care providers when CO2 levels exceed thresholds
- The bill does not specify requirements for private schools or unlicensed child care providers
Child care providers licensed under this Act are now subject to the CO2 monitoring, reporting, and air quality requirements in Bill 140
Source: Section 2(b)
The Minister of Education is given new powers to regulate CO2 monitoring in schools and child care providers, publish air quality data, develop an Air Quality Action Plan, and make regulations prescribing measures for non-compliance
Source: Sections 4, 5, 6, 8
School boards gain new obligations to ensure schools install CO2 monitors, ensure monitors are installed in leased spaces, and ensure compliance with the Air Quality Action Plan
Source: Sections 2(b), 3(2), 6(5)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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