School asbestos removal delay 'unacceptable,' says P.E.I. Opposition

A delay in asbestos cleanup at two P.E.I. schools is unacceptable, P.E.I.'s Official Opposition says.

• Asbestos removal delayed at 2 P.E.I. schools

• P.E.I. government to remove asbestos tiles from schools

This spring, nine Island schools were found to have asbestos tiles in their ceilings.

But when it came to the tendering process, the province found that getting all the schools done at once wouldn't be feasible, so it said remediation work at East Wiltshire Intermediate in Cornwall and Queen Elizabeth Elementary in Kensington will have to wait until next summer.

The province said last week that steps would be taken to prevent the asbestos from becoming a safety hazard in the two schools, but the Opposition says that's not good enough.

'Abject failure'

"This is an abject failure by the premier and his government to ensure safe and healthy classrooms for our students," said KensingtonMalpeque PC MLA Matthew MacKay in a written statement.

"The students, parents, and staff at Queen Elizabeth and East Wiltshire deserve an explanation from the premier about why they have to wait another year to have asbestos removed from their classrooms."

MacKay said the government has known about the problems in the nine schools for months.

"Back in March we called for an urgent plan to see these problems addressed before the school year ended in June. That didn't happen and now two schools will have asbestos in their classrooms until next summer. That's unacceptable."

MacKay is urging the government to meet with affected families and staff at both schools to explain how the situation unfolded and how it plans to address the problem.

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