REM construction site becoming a headache for Outremont schoolchildren
Noise-cancelling headphones are the latest craze for students at École St- Germain d’Outremont.
Since school came back into session this past summer, the public school on Vincent D’Indy Ave. has found itself only steps away from a four-year construction site that’s part of the $6.3-billion Réseau express métropolitain. In July, crews began working to build the light-rail network’s Université de Montréal station, which will be attached to the Édouard-Montpetit métro station and is scheduled to open in 2022. The REM station will be located 70 metres below the surface, inside the Mount Royal tunnel.
Parents say that while builders have taken steps to attenuate the noise and air pollution from the construction site, they’re still concerned.
“My daughter’s teacher let us know that the students have to wear headphones during the day because of the noise,” said Lisa Wright, whose daughter Isabela Lopez-Wright’s Grade 4 classroom is on the second floor, overlooking the work site.
“Normally, she would also open the window to let in some air, but she can only do that during lunchtime when the students aren’t in the class.”
Wright said her daughter has told her it’s difficult at times to concentrate because of the level of noise. Olivia Oxlade’s daughters, who are in Grade 4 and Grade 1, have also complained about the noise.
Gina Guillemette, a spokesperson for the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys, said the board is also concerned about the level of noise, and has asked the REM to improve the situation.
Unsatisfied with assurances from the builders of the REM, parents commissioned an epidemiologist at the MUHC to observe the area and prepare a report on the possible health risks.
“You have a school, there are a bunch of daycares, and all of these people are essentially at risk for exposures well above the average for Montreal,” said Mark Goldberg, the environmental epidemiologist at the McGill University Health Centre who prepared the report. “So the concern is, are you going to expose all of these people and all of these children for three to four years that can be two to three times higher than the average? In terms of public health, this is not a good idea.”
Goldberg sent a letter to Montreal’s public health department that outlined several concerns.
Speaking to the Montreal Gazette, he said that while the REM’s builders say the level of air pollution and noise coming from the site are within norms set by the province, it still represents the risks.
“There are no norms for children,” he said. “Every exposure can increase risk. This is a really important, great project, but you have to protect the people around the work site.”
Goldberg said there are many measures that builders can take to attenuate some of the issues, which include requiring trucks to turn off their engines when waiting at the site rather than let them idle. He also advocates the REM posts levels of air pollution on an hourly basis, to avoid “cheating with statistics” and to show what the levels are when they are at their worst.
As for the noise, Goldberg said the sound wall around the project should be made higher.
Louis-François Tétreault, a toxicologist, said REM builders have so far been agreeable to several requests that have come from either his department or the school board. He said the department shares Goldberg ’s concerns, and the greatest problem appears to be the level of noise coming from the site.
“Figures made public by the builder show that the level exceeds the 62 decibels that it committed to respect, according to norms, so we are encouraging the builders to respect the norms,” he said.
Tétreault said the department has asked REM builders to post the hourly air quality measurements, rather than the average for a 24hour period.
Speaking for the REM, Jean-Vincent Lacroix said hourly measurements of air quality level will be posted on the project’s site in the coming days. He added that trucks are already required to cut their motors instead of idling, unless the temperatures drop to around -30 Celsius.
As for sound, Lacroix said builders can’t make the sound wall higher than it currently is, but he said there are many measures put in place to reduce the noise emanating from the site.
He explained the 62-decibel level is a target in order to keep noise levels to what they were before construction began. However, he said the construction site has rarely surpassed the 70-decibel level, which is far less than the sound of an ambulance (120db), an airplane taking off less than 50 metres away (140db), or a group of children playing in a yard (90db).
“We’re working hard to make sure we reduce it as much as possible,” Lacroix said.