Everyone deserves clean indoor air!

Clean air is essential for good health. We spend most of our time indoors, yet there are no laws or regulations that directly govern indoor air quality. We are advocating for policies and actions that will ensure the air in our shared indoor spaces is clean and safe to breathe.

ABOUT US

PRIORITIES

Policy Objectives

Indoor air quality by Eucalyp from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

IAQ Governance

A city-wide indoor air quality (IAQ) policy and bylaw that is effective for controlling airborne diseases and fine particulate air pollution.

Carbon dioxide sensor by Tomas Knopp from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

IAQ monitoring

An IAQ monitoring system for municipal buildings and public schools, including real-time public reporting of IAQ data, including levels of CO₂ and PM2.5, temperature, and relative humidity.

Incentives

A program to accelerate IAQ improvement in Toronto’s buildings, including incentives for HVAC upgrades/retrofits, and subsidies for air filtration equipment (MERV-13, air cleaners).

EDUCATION

Healthy Air at Home: What You Can Monitor, Filter, & Fix

Webinar hosted by Toronto Home Energy Network on Zoom
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
6:30pm–7:30 pm

indoor air

Webinar

UPDATE

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FACTS

Did you know?

No law by Lars Meiertoberens from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

No IAQ Governance

There are no laws in Canada that directly regulate indoor air quality. There is no standard for what constitutes clean, safe-to-breathe air.

Checklist by kusuma potter from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

No Verification

Indoor air quality and compliance with the Ontario Building Code is assumed but not verified after completion of a new building. The ventilation is only checked if someone complains.

Law Enforcement by bsd studio from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

No Enforcement

Compliance with the ventilation standard in the Ontario Building code is not enforced. There are no serious penalties for builders or building owners for ventilation that is non-compliant.

Poor ventilation means increased exposure to harmful pollutants and more airborne disease transmission.

70%

Due to poor IAQ, schools and child care centres typically serve as hubs of disease transmission to the surrounding community. About 70% of cases of household spread of COVID-19 began with a child.

74%

Improving IAQ significantly reduces the risk of infections. Classrooms with mechanical ventilation show a 74% reduction of infection risk compared to classrooms with passive ventilation.

10 L/s

The minimum ventilation rate to effectively control airborne diseases in a classroom, as recommended by over 40 experts. However, many classrooms do not even meet the standard of 7-7.5 L/s per person as required in current building code.