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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.