Elementary students use outdoor toilets for weeks as school deals with water woes
A school near Shelburne, Ont. has been without adequate water supply for the first month since students returned to the classroom, leaving many parents frustrated and calling on the school board to be more transparent.
Primrose Elementary School in Mulmur has been using portable toilets and trailer bathrooms after it was discovered there was no water pressure in the school on Sept. 9.
According to the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), the issue was caused by a low level in the school's well.
But parents say they have been calling on the board to address water concerns since the spring, first bringing up water drinking safety.
"We just want to know what they're going to do and when they're going to fix it," said Amber Gallaugher, Vice Chair of the Primrose School Council. "We want to know when our kids are actually going to have running water."
Gallaugher said the UGDSB went silent over the summer, even as parents attempted to contact it for an update on the water condition.
"The first time we heard from the board was the second day of school when the school was closed due to lack of water," she added. "That's unacceptable."
The UGDSB undertook a change in the superintendents through the summer but said it was still working on the water challenges.
"Over the summer, there was an engineering firm that said the well is working," said Belal Taha, Superintendent of Education. "But on day two, we discovered that wasn't the case."
An update to parents on Sept. 14 said cleaning out of the base of the current well was unsuccessful, meaning a new well needs to be drilled.
A water tanker was installed last weekend and has since allowed water pressure to return to the school.
But for Claire Boone, who has a daughter in Grade 8, it's not reassuring that the portable toilets have been left on site as a backup.
"Shame on you. It should've been taken care of. These are our children," she said. "This should've been addressed much sooner, and we should've been kept in the loop."
Superintendent Taha said he is working on improving transparency with parents.
"I have, over the past two weeks, begun sending out letters," he added. "This is frustrating for everyone."
Taha said a design for a new well should be completed by October. However, there has yet to be any indication as to when it will be drilled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.