Company working on TOSH registry

MLAs told coronavirus delayed work on project to keep track of students who attended school during renovations

A private company is helping the provincial government create a registry of students who went to Summerside’s high school while renovations were underway, says Transportation Minister Steven Myers.

Myers provided more information on the registry for students from Three Oaks Senior High (TOSH) during a recent question period. It included that HRA Atlantic will be working on the registry.

“We felt that the best approach would be to get somebody independent because clearly that’s what we were being told by the parents and that’s clearly what we’ve been told by the opposition,” Myers said.

The provincial government announced last year it would add students to a registry if they attended the school during renovations between 2016 and 2019.

During the construction, some students and their parents raised concerns about potential air quality problems and exposure to asbestos.

Students were still in the school while the renovations were underway and some complained of health problems.

Tyne Valley-Sherbrooke MLA Trish Altass raised the issue, saying she learned in February someone in the private sector was given a contract to complete the registry.

Altass asked what information the registry will contain, where it will be housed and for how long.

“Other than a commitment from this government to create a registry, we still know very little about it," she said.

Myers said a lot of those decisions about the registry haven’t been made yet, noting the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic disrupted work on the registry and staff in his department only recently got back to work on it.

“We want to be meticulous that we’re doing this in the best possible manner and that we’re not leaving any stone unturned and we’re doing our very best to make sure that we give the people in Summerside, who want this, what they want.”

“We felt that the best approach would be to get somebody independent because clearly that’s what we were being told by the parents and that’s clearly what we’ve been told by the opposition.”

Steven Myers