An “accident” during work on the ventilation system at the Horizon Jeunesse school forced the Laval School Services Centre (CSSL) to delay the start of the school year by two days.
This Wednesday, August 28, all Laval students were due to return to school. However, this will not be the case for the 1,400 students enrolled at Horizon Jeunesse secondary school, located in the Auteuil district.
Parents were reportedly informed by the CSSL, via electronic communication, on Monday August 26 “that the start of the school year must be postponed until August 30 at the earliest following work impacting air quality.”
“It’s not particularly reassuring and it’s pretty last minute,” says a parent on the Facebook group Comité de parents de Laval. “Once the school reopens, will it be possible to have access to the results of the air quality tests to find out the source of the contamination and to know what will be done to have a clear heart and peace of mind that the young people are breathing quality air?”
“An isolated case”
Annie Goyette, assistant director of the CSSL communications office, confirms that work related to the ventilation system was already underway within the school establishment.
“This work was carried out in asbestos conditions and a safety protocol was in place,” she said. “The ventilation system was therefore shut down.”
Yesterday, the said system was accidentally activated for one minute. In order to avoid any health risks and to be able to complete the work, the CSSL has decided to postpone the start of the school year for a minimum of two days.
Air quality tests have been requested. The results are not yet known.
Without stating that other schools in the region are dealing with asbestos, the director writes that “there is construction work in several schools”, that “the situation at Horizon Jeunesse is an isolated case” and that “the teams are used to working in asbestos conditions”.
Health risks
According to the Quebec government, asbestos affects the health of people who breathe in its fibres. These fibres can end up in the air when materials made from this mineral are in poor condition, friable or handled during construction work.
When inhaled, these toxic particles can cause chronic lung diseases, such as lung cancer.
In Laval, the municipality closed the doors of its city hall in the spring of 2020 due to the presence of asbestos in the walls and ceiling of the building built in the early 1960s in order to avoid harmful effects on its employees.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.