Item - 2026.HL34.4

The Board of Health recommends that:

1. City Council request the Chief People Officer to work with the Occupational Health and Safety Coordinating Committee to update the Indoor Air Quality Guidance (2016) policy with any relevant changes to reflect learnings from COVID and other technological improvements that may have happened since this policy was last published.
 

2. City Council request the Chief People Officer to consider establishing a public Indoor Air Quality dashboard for City-owned buildings bringing visibility to indoor air quality.

3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with the Medical Officer of Health and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to identify options within the City’s authority to strengthen indoor-air-quality protections in rental housing, including ventilation and filtration maintenance, public guidance, tenant notification and complaint-response pathways, and report back to the Board of Health in Q3 2027.

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health continue to review emerging indoor air quality guidance and incorporate into local public health communication where appropriate, including strengthening information on practical, evidence-informed actions that people can take at home to reduce the risks from exposure to indoor air contaminants.

2. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to continue collaborating with Toronto school boards and other relevant community partners to support the distribution of public health guidance on preventing transmission of respiratory viruses.

3. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to continue participating in knowledge exchange and academic partnerships that support local understanding of effective indoor air quality risk-reduction measures.

4.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with other relevant City divisions, to promote and share the City of Toronto's Indoor Air Quality Guidance as a resource for employers, building owners, operators, and organizations seeking to improve indoor air quality and support healthier indoor environments.

5.  Requested that the Province of Ontario take steps to improve indoor air quality by:

a.  Enhancing provincial programs and financial supports to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke among vulnerable populations, including improving access to effective indoor air quality measures like filtration and cleaner air spaces;

b.  Implementing, where feasible, interventions based on Health Canada guidance and other evidence-informed practices to reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants in publicly funded schools and child care centres;

c.  Increasing access to portable air cleaners and replacement filters for people who have low-income and are medically vulnerable; and

d.  Updating the Ontario Building Code to incorporate ASHRAE Standard 241 and ASHRAE Guideline 44-2024.

Dr. Shovita Padhi, Associate Medical Officer of Health and Dr. Michelle Murti, Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on Public Health Role in Indoor Air Quality.

Urban Canadians spend almost 90 percent of their time indoors, meaning that most daily air exposure occurs in homes, schools, workplaces and other indoor environments. Poor indoor air quality can contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular health risks, worsen exposure during wildfire smoke and extreme heat events, and affect transmission risk for some respiratory infections in shared indoor spaces.

Indoor air quality oversight in Canada is distributed across multiple orders of government and sector-specific frameworks, including housing, workplaces, schools, public facilities, and health settings. In Ontario, many of the primary levers for improving indoor air quality sit with the Province, building owners and operators, employers, and school boards.

Toronto Public Health (TPH) also plays a role in indoor air quality. Toronto Public Health helps protect indoor air quality by monitoring health risks and emerging evidence, responding to complaints and investigating health hazards, supporting outbreak prevention in indoor settings and working with other organizations to share information and coordinate action.

Recommendations in this report focus on strengthening Toronto Public Health's public communication on indoor air quality in accordance with provincial and federal guidance; continuing collaboration with partners, including school boards; and requesting provincial measures to improve indoor air quality, including supports to reduce wildfire smoke exposure and targeted actions in schools, child care settings and for vulnerable populations.