More security cameras and vape detectors may be coming to Ontario schools with $30 million in funding

TORONTO – More security cameras and vaping detectors could soon be installed in Ontario schools, with this week’s announcement of $30 million in funding for school safety in the provincial budget.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he is “deeply concerned” about students vaping at school and hopes that installing vaping detectors – which are similar to smoke detectors but detect vapor – in spaces such as Baths can help keep them healthy and safe.

“We’re making investments to keep them safe, keep them safe from cannabis, from illicit drugs and from the unacceptably high rates of vaping that take place in schools,” he said in an interview.

“We cannot normalize this within our society. It should be a disturbing image for any of us. I know parents are worried about this. I also listen to educators. That is why the government acts today with the commitment to go even further in the coming days.”

Some of the most recent data available suggests that in 2021-22 about one in five students in grades 10-12 had vaped, down from a few years earlier, but there was a small increase among younger students.

In 2021-22, according to some of the most recent data available, about 21 per cent of Ontario students in grades 10 to 12 reported vaping, although that figure is down from 26 per cent in 2018-19. However, there has been a small increase among younger students, rising from 7.6 per cent to 8.5 per cent, according to a survey of Canadian students on tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

The Near North District School Board operated a pilot project with vaping detectors in bathrooms and locker rooms at one school and said it was successful in addressing e-cigarette use at school.

The board noted a “sharp” increase in vaping on school property since the COVID-19 pandemic, it wrote in a report. To address the problem, the board said vaping detectors were installed, staff received training on vaping behavior and culture, information was provided to parents and students were educated about the harm of vaping, and they were given to people “consistently caught vaping at school.” addiction counseling and smoking cessation programs.

“Data collected during the 2022-2023 school year demonstrated great success in addressing the issue of e-cigarette use on campus, as well as combating associated problems, including restroom congregating and vandalism,” the board wrote. in his report.

“We believe this approach can be replicated at other high schools and will therefore expand the program in 2023-2024.”

The $30 million in funding over three years will be available to school boards for other school safety equipment as well, such as security cameras, lighting and other safety improvements.

The team will help improve security in schools and on school property, with the goal of addressing both violence within schools and incidents within the community that impact schools, Lecce said.

Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said the root causes of violence in schools need to be better addressed with more funding and help for students.

“You can have a security camera. How does that prevent something from happening?” she said.

“Incidents are happening across the province, from JK to Grade 12, and we do not have the necessary support. “We don’t have the support of mental health, social workers and psychologists, and that’s where we need to address the issues, not put up another camera.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.