An Ottawa New Democrat MPP is putting forward a private member’s bill in the Ontario legislature to limit how hot schools can get. Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Chandra Pasma says the number of extremely hot days during the school year is rising. “Classrooms and school buses are becoming dangerously hot, and students, teachers and education workers are being asked to learn and work in conditions that are not safe,” Pasma said in a news release on Tuesday. “Every child deserves a safe, healthy learning environment, no matter their postal code or the age of their school building.” The bill would set a maximum temperature of 26 C for schools, require practical heat mitigation plans, and ensure schools have emergency protocols in place during extreme heat events, Pasma says. Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron on Tuesday, Pasma said this goes beyond air conditioning. “There’s a whole range of other measures that we can take to bring down temperatures, like installing energy-efficient doors and windows, having green roofs, having exterior blinds and trees that are planted around the school, replacing asphalt on the school property with permeable surfaces and having outdoor shade structures, so we’re not just talking about air conditioning,” she said. Pasma said she understands this will require investments in schools and school boards to retrofit older schools, plant trees, and install other technology to cool buildings. “I think it’s an investment that’s worthwhile, and we are then making savings in other areas because our kids don’t have to be hospitalized due to heat exposure or because it made conditions like asthma or kidney problems worse,” she said. “I think we need to start by assessing how many of our schools don’t have access to air conditioning before we can say how long it would take for every school to bring that temperature down, but as the temperature is getting hotter and hotter every year, it’s work that we can’t wait to start doing.” So far this year, Ottawa has seen three days with high temperatures of 28 C or more, and humidex values above 30. Last year, there were two days in June with highs above 30 C before the school year was over and the average daily high for the month was 25.5 C. September 2025 began with highs around 27 C. June 2024 experienced a heat warning with humidex values in the 40s. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) expressed support for Pasma’s bill on Tuesday. “Students and education workers deserve safe learning and working conditions, especially during increasingly frequent extreme heat events,” the OSSTF said on social media. “Extreme heat in schools is not just uncomfortable. It is a growing health and safety issue impacting students’ ability to learn and teachers and education workers’ ability to work safely. As climate change intensifies, Ontario’s schools need real investments, modern infrastructure, and clear protections to keep school communities safe.” Pasma is calling on the Ontario government to provide funding to school boards for repairs and upgrades.
