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School in Coral Harbour reopens despite parents' concerns about mould

The local district education authority (DEA) in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, closed the community's only school this week after both parents and teachers reported smelling mould.

Sakku school shut down Monday and Tuesday. Classes resumed on Wednesday but attendance was low, according to the school's principal, Travis Klak.

Louie Bruce has grandchildren at the school and is a former member of the DEA.

"Parents are saying they're not sending their kids to school until it's fixed or they're relocated to a different building as a temporary school. They're afraid for their kids," Bruce said in Inuktitut.

He says the school is built in the bed of a drained lake and its location means the problem will never be fixed.

"Even during wintertime, they are draining the school area. It's very visible... because it's constantly filling up with water," he said.

CBC
CBC

Nunavut's Minister of Education David Joanasie said the department has worked with the Department of Community and Government Services to investigate mould complaints three times since 2017.

"All cases came back negative," Joanasie said, adding no investigation has been done this time.

The DEA plans to meet Thursday night to organize and ask for another inspection.

School renovations planned

"There's been concerns about mould or some odour in the school, however I need to make the point clear that if there is health or safety concerns that it's the authority through the chief medical officer that makes those calls to order a government building such as a school to be closed down," said Joanasie.

The chief medical officer was not involved in the temporary school closure.

There are plans to renovate the school, Joanasie said. In the upcoming sitting of the Legislative Assembly, the Department of Education plans to submit its capital budget for the project. If that's approved, it will move into the design phase.

The school will be "completely retrofitted" and expanded to accommodate the community's growing population. Construction would start in 2020.

- With files from Jordan Konek