‘I want it done now’
PC MLA Sidney MacEwen pushes for repair to leaky roof of Mount Stewart school
With rain in the forecast, teachers and staff at Mount Stewart Consolidated School were putting down buckets in their gymnasium to ward off inevitable rain leakage – a situation PC MLA Sidney MacEwen says is unacceptable.
During a debate over details within the capital budget in the legislature Wednesday, questions arose about school construction and renovation budgets. That’s when MacEwen revealed the poor state of the roof at Mount Stewart School and pushed Education Minister Jordan Brown to get it fixed.
But Brown noted there is a list of priorities for school renovations for the year ahead, which is compiled by the Public Schools Branch, and Mount Stewart is No. 5 on the list.
“The school that you have referenced is getting very close to the top of that list, and as the budget permits for the current year and for the next year, that school will be dealt with in due course,” Brown said.
MacEwen refused to back down.
“Why can’t you just say, we’re fixing it this year? Don’t give me that. You can find money for everything. I know we can make it happen with the stroke of a pen. Can we get these leaky roofs fixed? I can’t believe we’re going to wait another year to fix a leaky roof with buckets on the floor.”
Brown continued to defend the department’s need to follow its budgeting process and respect the priorities identified by the Public Schools Branch and French Language Schools Board.
MacEwen then pointed to a situation last year when a sink overflowed in the Opposition office, which is on the third floor of the Coles Building, above the government members’ office and the current temporary home of the legislative chamber.
This leak caused the ceiling in the Liberal government members’ office and the legislature to leak.
“That got fixed. That wasn’t in a budget and it got fixed,” MacEwen said.
“The Mount Stewart School gym, we’re talking about another year. That’s disappointing and I want it done now… if we can fix the leak in your ceiling, why can’t we fix the leak in the Mount Stewart gym ceiling?”