PRESIDENTS REPORT
June, 2013
Union says mould found in 3 classrooms at aging Calgary Board of Education school
Union officials say they’re monitoring the situation closely at an aging Calgary public school after being informed that mould was found in three classrooms.
Bob Anderson, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local, which represents 700 custodial workers, said a director with the Calgary Board of Education confirmed the mould discovery inside Viscount Bennett Centre after questioning school officials upon reading parent claims in a recent Metro article.
Anderson said in an interview Monday that the director told him last Thursday that two classrooms had been remediated and a third also containing mould has been cordoned off. About 1,000 adult-learning students take classes at Viscount through the Chinook Learning Services program.
Anderson said the CBE official assured him there are no health hazards for his members as well as students and staff, but he remains skeptical.
“It’s a real concern,” he said. “With the instances of asthma and respiratory problems these days it behooves all of us to ensure we’re not poisoning ourselves in our environment.”
A number of parents from Westgate School have told Metro in recent days that CBE executives have confirmed the discovery of mould in the Viscount centre, which is widely regarded as being in the worst shape of the organization’s more than 200 facilities. The centre was due to serve as a backup location for students from Westgate’s Spanish program, should a new home for them at Glenmeadows School not be ready come 2015.
It was not clear when the mould was first discovered and when it was remediated in the two classrooms, as the CBE has not actually confirmed the discovery despite repeated questioning.
On Monday, the organization reissued a statement already provided last week, indicating a review of the facility was underway and a report would be presented to superintendents and trustees in the fall.
“The section of the building which is being reviewed is not currently occupied. No students or staff are in an unsafe environment at the facility,” the organization said.
Severe wear-and-tear is visible from the exterior of the Viscount centre, including a set of stairs that have been cordoned off because of a “tripping hazard.”
CBE officials have said they cannot provide a tour of the building’s interior, because the school is in use all year-round.
But Anderson said “You can judge a book by its cover in that instance — what looks bad on the outside is mirrored on the inside.”
He added that he fears Viscount’s sorry state is merely the tip of the iceberg as the CBE combats a maintenance backlog estimated to be roughly $1 billion.
Facts on mould
- Indoor mould generally grows in buildings with water leakage, excessive humidity or condensation problems.
- In general, people are exposed to mold both indoors and outdoors every day but higher levels generally correlate with increased health side-effects. The health impact of mold varies from person to person but is known to aggravate asthma and other ailments in sensitive individuals.