Opposition NDP accuses province of putting student safety at risk

The Opposition NDP says the provincial government has refused to repair rotting roofs in schools because the province views the problems as pre-existing conditions which do not qualify for emergency funding.

In a statement released to media, the NDP referenced documents obtained through an Accessto Information request submitted to the government.

According to the the NDP, the documents "show the government said 'no' to emergencyrepairs of dangerous structural issues at multiple schools in at least one school division."

The NDP highlighted details of issues for a number of schools in the Prairie Spirit School Division, near Saskatoon, where funding for emergency repairs appeared to have been denied.

• RosthernHigh School: "Barrel roof is leaking, rotting and in danger of collapse. Drywall isfalling from the ceiling in the library. Further deterioration will result in the closure of this entirewing, which houses most of the classroom space." (Officials from the school division noted Thursday that the roof in question was no longer considered to be in danger of collapsing as supports have been added.)
• RosthernElementary School: "Structural pad is sinking, causing large gaps in the walls andconcerns of plumbing line failure," and "roof is rotting and portions are disintegrating."
• ColonsaySchool: "Structural damage to roof/wall of the gym."

"It is absolutely ridiculous for this government to use legalese and red tape to weasel out of fixing schoolroofs that are rotting and in danger of collapse, and schools that have major structural damage," Opposition leader Cam Broten, of the NDP, said in the statement.

The NDP, based on the documents they received, said the estimated repair cost for the three identified schools is $5.2 million adding that provincial officials suggested the school division could use funding from a program called Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR). However, the division received only $1.37 million through theprogram in 2015 for all building maintenance.

The opposition also noted an internal government emailwhich detailed Prairie Spirit's multiple requests for PMR funds, going back to 2006, which identified several issues that have not been addressed by the province.

According to the opposition, the province under the Saskatchewan Party government has used thePMR program's stipulation that its funds are for unknown problems, notpre-existing, to avoid paying for the repairs.

The NDP also said the province is "aware of at least$1.5 billion in school repairs that are necessary,but refuses to share the list or any details with parents or teachers. The total PMR is only $27 million, lessthan two per cent of the need."

Prairie Spirit School Division issues statement

The Prairie Spirit School Division did not agree to have someone interviewed on Thursday, but did issue a statement to news media following the NDP's media release.

"ThePrairie Spirit SchoolDivisionfollows the [Education] Ministry's processes to apply for funding for school repairs," the division said in the statement. "PrairieSpirit has done its due diligence in ensuring the safety of students by conducting structural reviews of our schoolfacilities and applying for government funding for repairs."

Province responds

In an email, officials for the government noted that PMR funding pools and another funding source, called emergent capital, did not exist before the Saskatchewan Party took office.

The email went on to note that the province has spent almost $1billion, described as "a record amount", on school infrastructure.

According to the government, $4.6 million was given to emergent funding this year, a53 per cent increase over last year. The PMR program, at $27 million, saw a 28 per cent increase over last year.

When it comes to the Prairie Spirit School Division, specifically, the government email provided additional details:

• More than$90 million for school capital in the division.
• Over $1.3 million in Preventative Maintenance and Renewal funding for 2015. More than$3 million of PMR money in the past three years.
• Emergent Funding was available for unforeseen and unexpected issues. Prairie Spirit received the following, for projects in several communities: Valley Manor $205,000,Osler $487,000,Langham $396,000,Hanley $237,000,Delisle $227,000,Hague $300,000 and Aberdeen $950,000.

In the e-mail,the province also provided a general list of work done on schools, province-wide, in the past two years:

• Roof work in 23 school divisions.
• Mechanical work in 17 school divisions.
• Building envelope work in 13 school divisions.
• Site work in 10 school divisions.
• Electrical work in nineschool divisions.
• Fire and safety work in fiveschool divisions.

"We are working hard to address the infrastructure deficit we inherited," the government email added, in reference to the previous NDP administration. The Saskatchewan Party took office following the 2007 provincial election.