80 Albertan schools were affected by the flood this past June. As my own school was unaffected, I was mostly unaware of the troubles being faced by others. Luckily, only three schools were unable to open when classes began: Elbow Park, and two in High River, Notre Dame Collegiate and Holy Spirit Academy.
It is expected that it will take two to three years for Elbow Park to be completely rebuilt, and in the meantime, students of Elbow Park are currently attending the vacant Eugene Coste. This solution is only temporary; although currently closed, the school will be required for a new student population next year, reported the Education Minister Jeff Johnson.
Rather, students were supposed to be studying in modular units set in the yard of the nearby Earl Grey starting September 9. The completion of these units, by the contractor Enzo Developments, have been delayed, but so far most parents of students are content with attending Eugene Coste, as it is not only a suitable location, but also allows the students to be kept together.
Controversy arose from the money spent on the modules, including a $1.1 million gym, considered an unnecessary extravagance as voiced by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Director Derek Fildebrante argued that with Earl Grey only at 2/3 capacity and already equipped with a gym, sharing would be reasonable, and called this allotment of funds a “gross miscalculation.”
This controversy may also appear to be gaining sympathy for Danielle Smith, the leader of the Wild Rose Party. The party’s education critic, Bruce McAllistar, juxtaposed Smith’s riding in High River, where 750 students two schools have yet to receive their modules and will be sharing one gym, with the perhaps more fortunate situation for Elbow Parks’ 220 students, and attacked Alison Redford over “favoritism” of her own riding.
“It would seem that those Albertans with the strongest political ties and the deepest pockets are first in line for temporary school facilities, while students elsewhere in the province with a desperate need for permanent schools are forced to wait.”
Bill Moore-Kilgannon, executive director Public Interest Alberta
Redford and Johnson were quick to respond, pointing out that these modules were an investment for Calgary’s rapidly growing population. Alberta Education spokesperson Leanne Niblock answered that $15 million has been invested in High River portables already used by over 400 students. The Calgary Board of Education’s response echoed that of the provincial government, focusing on the future use of the modules.
Others have set the debate aside for the moment to focus on simply returning students back to school.
“The reality is when this flood hit, our premier acted immediately and we went out to school boards and said what do you need […] to be ready for school in September? Those school boards and those communities came back to us and told us what they needed and we are delivering it.”
Education Minister Jeff Johnson
After all, any decision involving money in Alberta eventually proves to be controversial.
Sources: Calgary Herald, CBC, Calgary Sun