TORONTO \u2014 Last May, six-year-old Kofi Berkley started getting itchy and developing bumps on his skin while he was playing with his friends at recess.<\/p>\n
The recess supervisor brought the Grade 1 student, who didn\u2019t have any known allergies, to his Edmonton elementary school\u2019s office. <\/p>\n
Principal Joanne Harle and an administrative assistant applied ice on his skin to try to soothe the irritation. <\/p>\n
\u201cTruly to goodness within \u2014 it felt like an hour but it wasn\u2019t, it was probably maybe a minute \u2014 you could see his eyes swell. His top lip grew. He was gasping to breathe,\u201d said Harle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when we, the admin assistant said, \u2018I think we have an allergic reaction. We need the EpiPen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
They had two EpiPens on hand at George P. Nicholson School because of an Alberta law enacted in 2020 that requires schools to have \u201cstock\u201d epinephrine devices, in addition to the EpiPens that parents provide for their kids with known food, bee or wasp allergies. <\/p>\n
Food Allergy Canada says although other provincial education ministries have policies in place to prepare for and deal with serious allergic reactions, Alberta is the only one that legislates all schools to stock epinephrine devices that aren\u2019t designated for a particular student. <\/p>\n
The advocacy group is calling for all provinces to put similar legislation in place, rather than leaving it up to individual schools and school boards to take that initiative. <\/p>\n
\u201cStock epinephrine, the way to think about that, is it\u2019s like a defibrillator. It\u2019s there for emergencies in an individual where you didn\u2019t actually expect that to happen,\u201d said Jennifer Gerdts, executive director of Food Allergy Canada. <\/p>\n
Data from the U.S. suggests that 25 per cent of anaphylaxis cases that happen at school are among students who didn\u2019t have a known history of severe allergy, Gerdts said \u2014 and there\u2019s no reason to believe that prevalence would be any different in Canada. <\/p>\n
Alberta\u2019s legislation also requires teachers and other school staff to do Food Allergy Canada\u2019s \u201cAllergy Aware\u201d online training module, which takes about 30 minutes to complete. <\/p>\n
Kofi\u2019s dad, Cristen Berkley, said an allergy clinic still hasn\u2019t been able to figure out exactly what his son is allergic to, but they\u2019ll keep trying. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy to let him go back to school, especially not knowing what exactly triggered the allergy,\u201d Berkley said. <\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that the teachers were prepared in case of an event happening … that definitely helped ease my mind a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harle said as soon as they jabbed the epinephrine autoinjector into Kofi\u2019s thigh, he screamed, which \u201cwas a relief\u201d because it let them know his airway was clear. <\/p>\n
An ambulance arrived within about five minutes. Harle said the paramedics came back later to tell the school staff how important it was that they had given Kofi the epinephrine quickly. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo have had required legislated training, as well as required legislated EpiPens in the building … you\u2019re ready for what\u2019s gonna come,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou practise for fire drills, you practise for lockdown drills. You should be practising for medical emergencies too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Scott Cameron, a pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist in Victoria, said first-time anaphylactic reactions are just one reason why epinephrine devices should be stocked in schools. <\/p>\n
At about $100 per autoinjector, many families of kids with diagnosed allergies to food or insect stings can\u2019t afford to buy more than one, he said, but schools require them to provide one that stays at school at all times. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have families where they have one injector and it lives at the school. So while accidents definitely happen at school and we need an injector present there, for that family to not have one with meals at their home or when they go out to a friend\u2019s house or a restaurant \u2014 all these other places where accidents could take place \u2014 is really unfortunate,\u201d Cameron said. <\/p>\n
His home province of B.C. has a policy mandating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and naloxone kits in all its schools, according to the province\u2019s website. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be using epinephrine far more often than the AEDs or the naloxone kits that are being put there,\u201d Cameron said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re really asking the province, \u2018Hey, you\u2019ve taken this great approach in policy towards safety in schools. Please take it a step further and apply it to the other condition that happens even more commonly in schools that need an emergency medication available.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Gerdts, of Food Allergy Canada, said the organization has been in discussions with B.C. about stocking epinephrine in schools. <\/p>\n
In an email sent to The Canadian Press on Friday, B.C.\u2019s ministry of education and child care said it is \u201caware of the request by Food Allergy Canada and appreciates their advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this time, it is not a requirement for schools to carry extra EpiPens, though schools may choose to do so in accordance with local policies and need,\u201d the email said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it\u2019s essential for every school to have an anaphylactic safety plan for students with anaphylaxis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those plans include working with parents to \u201chelp keep the school free of allergy triggers,\u201d as well as \u201coutlining student responsibilities for carrying their EpiPen when appropriate,\u201d and defining specific actions to be taken if a student has an anaphylactic reaction, the ministry said. <\/p>\n
Cameron said although death from anaphylaxis is rare, getting epinephrine quickly decreases the likelihood of requiring hospitalization, including intensive care. <\/p>\n
\u201cDelaying epinephrine by even 20 minutes is known to be a big risk factor for any of those bad things occurring,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Cameron also emphasized that people shouldn\u2019t hesitate to administer epinephrine if they believe an anaphylactic reaction is happening. <\/p>\n
Even if it turns out the person isn\u2019t having an allergic reaction, the epinephrine won\u2019t do any harm, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we gave epinephrine to somebody who didn\u2019t need it, they\u2019d go pale and their hand would get a bit shaky and their heart would go a tiny bit quicker,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s a very, very safe medicine to be wrong about. And hesitating to use it is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Epinephrine nasal spray as an alternative to the autoinjectors have just entered the Canadian market, Cameron said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBoth methods work equally well and are perfectly safe.\u201d <\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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