News Release
Uteck Calls for Air Quality Testing in Schools
(Wednesday, October 18/2000)-- District 13 Councillor Sue Uteck today challenged the provincial government to implement a "decisive action plan" for full air quality testing of schools and a comprehensive plan for their replacement.
"We (the residents of District 13) are paying the highest taxes in the urban core, plus the highest Supplementary Education Funding, and our schools are collapsing," Councillor Uteck said.
The Councillor said she was advised recently by the parent of a child attending Ecole Beaufort School on Walnut Street in Halifax that two Grade 5 classes had to be moved to another school because of reported air quality problems in the basement of the building.
She said the parent and others met with Halifax Regional School Board officials about the problem, but they couldn't provide any concrete explanation about what was causing the poor air quality, nor could they provide a date when the Grade 5 classes would be returning to Ecole Beaufort.
Councillor Uteck said the parents were told that no air quality testing had been done at the school. When parents offered to pay to have independent testing done-- the parent claimed they were told the School Board would not look at, nor accept, the report.
"This is not the first time that air quality has come up, and I don't think it is fair that
P-T-A's (Parent-Teacher Associations)have to force the issue with lawyers, as in the case of the Inglis Street Elementary School, " Councillor Uteck said.
The Northwest Arm/South End Councillor said the province has recently announced another round of school construction, without even taking into consideration the many existing schools that are suffering air quality problems.
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Councillor Sue Uteck
(902) 221-7651
