Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Students head back to school as heat warnings blanket Central Canada

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Sep, 2023 10:19 AM
  • Students head back to school as heat warnings blanket Central Canada

While Tuesday marked the first day of school for many students across the country, summer certainly didn't feel like it was over as heat warnings blanketed much of Central Canada.

One school board in Quebec closed all elementary and high schools on Tuesday due to the heat, while other districts in that province and Ontario said they would put measures in place to adapt to the high temperatures. 

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville, speaking to reporters at a high school inauguration in Gatineau, said Tuesday that the high temperatures -- expected to reach 33 Celsius Tuesday with a humidex of 41 -- were exceptional.

"I trust that teams in the schools will well manage the (heat) situation, I don't have any doubt," he said. 

The province intends to build 150 new schools in the coming years, but they won't be air conditioned.

"In newly built schools, we will install mechanical ventilation systems, which isn't air conditioning but are ventilation systems that will provide for a certain level of comfort," Drainville said.

Farther west, the Toronto District School Board announced Monday evening that it, too, would put its heat plan in place as the mercury was expected to hit 34 degrees, with a humidex of 42.

The board says that of its 583 schools, only 177 are largely air conditioned. Another 243 have cooling centres in large areas such as the gym or library. 

Aside from the heat, parents and teachers say they're expecting a new crop of issues to affect classroom learning this year, including generative AI technology, affordability and climate change. For some students, however, the first day of school experience remains largely unchanged year after year. 

"I want it to still be summer," said nine-year-old Harrison Halliday, who's entering Grade 5 with a healthy dose of apathy. 

Harrison's dad, Bill Halliday, was far more optimistic as he dropped his two sons off at their Toronto school this morning. 

"The days will be spent without childminding and I'll be able to work and not stress about what they're doing and keeping them off screens," Halliday said. "God, that's going to be good. I think it's good that they're active and going to be with their friends again."

Meanwhile, Sid and Mukta Kanasker and their daughter Kashvi said they were excited for her to enter the fourth grade, despite the typical nerves that come with the uncertainty of a new year.

“I think coming back after two months, of course, there is anxiety with which class she will go and how the new teacher would be,” Sid Kanasker said. “But I think the school is great.”

While across much of the country it's set to be a first day of school like any other, those in parts of Canada ravaged by wildfires return to a much different landscape. 

The government of British Columbia has said no schools were damaged by the fires that tore through parts of the province, but that doesn't mean students will be unaffected. 

The flames passed close by some schools in Kelowna, B.C., leaving destruction in their wake. 

For residents of Yellowknife, however, summer break has been extended. 

Typically, students would have returned to their classrooms on Aug. 28, but the city is still under an evacuation order as fires continue their burn, so school will have to wait. 

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.
Fire and emergency management officials are set to provide an update on the state of wildfires around British Columbia, as recent rains have offered some reprieve but several blazes still threaten communities. The BC Wildfire Service is reporting 412 active wildfires, down by about 70 since Monday.

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88
Pat Carney, who pioneered roles for women in Canadian politics and journalism, has died at the age of 88. Her niece, Jill Carney, confirmed in a statement that the former MP and senator passed away Tuesday.   

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk
A Vancouver Island woman has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for coughing in the face of a grocery store clerk on purpose in the earliest days of the pandemic. The woman was found guilty in April of assaulting the employee and causing a disturbance at the Save-On-Foods in Campbell River in April 2020.

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate
Police are investigating after a body was discovered in Oak Bay. A section of Beach Drive was closed from Monterey Avenue to King George Terrace this morning after the discovery.

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs
With this grant, IEC-BC will provide extended mentorship to under-employed and unemployed immigrants that will help them understand and adapt their skills and experience to the Canadian labour market. This grant will benefit newcomers and businesses across the province.

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness
An employee at a mall in Langley says she heard a giant boom, the ground shook and she thought they were experiencing an earthquake. Instead, RCMP say a welding truck in the mall’s parking lot had exploded in flames.  

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness