Education minister won't reconsider Moncton west end school site

New Brunswick's education minister says he won't reconsider a decision on where to build a new 700-student school in Moncton's west end to replace two other schools and the department is keeping the other locations considered secret.

The province plans to open a kindergarten to Grade 8 school on provincially owned land beside Bernice MacNaughton High School to replace Bessborough and Hillcrest schools.

Some parents, the Anglophone East District Education Council and Moncton city councillors have all said they want answers from the province about how the location was picked after the decision was revealed during the provincial election campaign.

Dominic Cardy, who kept his portfolio in a post-election cabinet shuffle, said provincial government staff studied the issue and brought him a list of three potential sites.Cardy selected the site staff had recommended on July 22, a few weeks before the election began.

"I will accept the recommendation of those experts because I am not an engineer and not an architect and not a designer," Cardy said.

"As long as I'm satisfied that the process has been followed, I sign off on it. I was satisfied the process was followed, I signed."

He declined to name the other two locations considered during the interview, saying he wasn't sure if that's information he's allowed to release publicly.

Danielle Elliott, a spokesperson for the department, sent an emailed statement almost 24 hours later saying the other locations considered are "confidential advice" to the minister and won't be released.

That leaves it unclear whether a site preferred by some parents, space on the existing Bessborough grounds, was considered or why it may not have been considered suitable.

The district education council voted to close Bessborough and Hillcrest, both built in the 1950s,and request a new school. The councilsuggestedthe province consider using the Bessborough grounds.

Jeremy Nelson, whose daughter attends Bessborough, said he was disappointed Cardy isn't open to reconsidering the decision. While he's happy the area will get a new school, he worries about the long-term impact of the province's site selection process.

"This is the first of probably dozens of schools of this age that have similar structural problems," Nelson said.

"A lot of those are located in the middle of neighbourhoods. Are we setting a template where all of the neighborhood schools are going to disappear?"

Generally, Cardy said, staff base their recommendations on multiple factors that include the cost to build a school on the site, availability of land, access to services and amenities, future growth of the neighbourhood and safety issues.

Cardy said he won't reconsider the location because it makes no sense to disregard the recommendations of the civil service based on "heat from a small number of people."

"That is the pathway to bad decisions and weakened democracy," Cardy said. "That's not how our system works."

Nelson calledCardy's statement disappointing.

"That smacks of, you know, 'Here citizens, take your medicine and don't don't question our decision-making.'"

The district education council unanimously voted the day after the election to ask the province to explain its decision. Cardy said that's expected to take place at an Oct. 20 meeting.

The call for answers about the school location echoes displeasure at the Progressive Conservative government's 2011 decision to replace the centrally located Moncton High School with a new schoolonthe northern fringe of the city.

Moncton councillors last month called for answers, saying the province has not allowed the city to offer input in decisions that affect how the municipality grows and public transit.

Several city councillors urged Nelson and another parent who spoke at a Moncton council meeting last month to continue pushing the province to reconsider.

"I would hope that enough voices have come out now for the province to step back," Coun. Charles Lger said at that Sept. 8 meeting.

Lger said provincial criteria for new schools requiring certain acreage means they'll simply end up losing urban schools.

Minister open to municipal input

Cardy said he agrees with Moncton councillors that municipalities ought to have more input when new schools are being considered.

"I think that that should be changed in the future and look forward to talking about how we can reform the governance of the education system," Cardy said.

He said he's not sure how long making that type of change could take.

The new school is expected to open in 2022.