Questions remain on mold response
Bad weather grounds MLAs' trip to Lutsel K'e as school authority official criticizes GNWT response to parents
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, October 3, 2016
LUTSEL K'E/SNOWDRIFT
There was disappointment in Lutsel K'e last week after a planned trip to the community be senior territorial government officials had to be postponed due to bad weather.
They were headed to the community Friday for a public meeting with residents over a mold problem that caused the school to close earlier this month.
Education Minister Alfred Moses, Public Works Minister Wally Schumann, Tom Beaulieu, MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh which includes Lutsel K'e, Dr. Andre Corriveau, the NWT chief public health officer, Sylvia Haener, deputy minister of education, several other top bureaucrats as well as media members were grounded in Yellowknife due to potential icing conditions in Lutsel K'e.
There were concerns that if the flight landed in the community it could be stranded there because the Lutsel K'e airport has no de-icing equipment.
Moses said the plan now is to reschedule the meeting for Oct. 7.
"We had our staff ready to go in and listen to the concerns, answer some questions and provide facts on the mold issue at the school," said Moses.
"You can't do anything when there are safety concerns. We do look forward to coming to the community. In the meantime, we'll be providing some information to the community.
"We're going to get packages sent to the principal and to the band office as well."
About 40 elementary school students had to vacate the school on Sept. 8 after mold was found in a part of the school that was under construction.
Those children have since been attending class at the community arena and the Aurora College building.
The Department of Education Culture and Employment (ECE) has said students will be able to safely return to the school on Oct. 11.
It appears the mold is less an issue among some community members than their frustration over not being told about the problem earlier. The mold was reportedly discovered on Aug. 15 but that information was not widely shared with the community until Sept. 7.
Stephanie Poole lives in Lutsel K'e and has three school-age children. She is also an elected member of the District Education Authority.
"The way this story is being framed so far is sort of like the GNWT discovered mold but they knew it was there - they knew it was there for many, many years and so they're just trying to sort of cover their asses," Poole told News/North in an interview.
"They only had this one plan: it was to keep our students in the school. They knew about the mold, they should have had another plan.
"They should have just sent us the portable units but they just want to act like it was all a surprise to them and that's not cool at all."
Beaulieu agreed with Poole that the GNWT could have done a much better job of keeping the community informed about the problem.
"You had two departments involved, which each have their own communications. The ministers have their own communications. I think a lesson could be learned here," Beaulieu said.
"In the future if something like this happens, coordinate the communications first - right off the bat."
- with files from Kassina Ryder
