Battle over Royal Vale high school heats up

A battle is brewing between the mayor of the Cte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grce borough and the head of the English Montreal School Board.

Mayor Michael Applebaum has come under fire from the EMSB for comments he made about a potential school closure at a recent borough meeting.

The conflict centres around a proposal by the EMSB to move Royal Vale high school from its current site in NDG, to the former Wagar High School in Cte St-Luc.

The chair of the English Montreal School Board, Angela Mancini,wrote to Applebaum on Nov. 11, demanding a public apology for comments he made at a recent borough meeting.

A weekly local newspaper quoted Applebaum as saying the EMSB will eventually realize that moving the school is the wrong decision and that "if not, I can tell you that we wield a big stickif that happens there will be consequences."

In her letter, Mancini calls Applebaum's comments "inflammatory, offensive and threatening."

Applebaum shot back on Monday witha letter back to Mancini, in which he denied doing anything wrong. He wrote that Royal Vale is the only remaining anglophone school in NDG, and that he is just trying to protect it.

He added that the EMSB's interpretation of his comments was "exaggerated and full of demagoguery."

Public hearings on the proposed move will be held in early December. The EMSB's council of commissioners will make a final decision in January.