A public meeting this week regarding the new school planned for Kenmount Terrace, and the reconfiguration of the feeder system in the meantime, has left more questions than answers for the education critic.
PC MHA Paul Dinn says over 80 parents and residents attended the meeting, and left “more frustrated than ever.”
Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell, Infrastructure Minister John Abbott, and Mount Scio MHA Sarah Stoodley were on hand from the government side.
Dinn questions the timelines for the physical construction of the school.
He says people were expecting more detail, and not just “high level” timelines. Government has stated the school will be open by 2026, but some in the audience with construction experience were “pessimistic” about that.
The meeting, According to Dinn, then shifted to issues within the current feeder system.
He says current facilities are overcrowded, and government does not seem to have a plan to address the issues raised.
As an example, he says some parents raised stories that were hard to hear about children with mobility issues being unable to access features such as play areas.
Dinn says concerns parents have submitted a list of action items to government regarding things such as cleaning and maintenance issues, overcrowding, accessibility, and a lack of outdoor play space.