36% of public schools in one Montreal school board were deemed to be either in an “excessive state of decay” or “advanced state of decay”. These are descriptions one would never want to hear associated with buildings in which children spend six hours each day!
Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) is a French-language school board in Montreal that, as of last year, had a capital repair backlog of $1.7-billion. The average age of CSDM’s 226 schools is over 70 years old. Included in the issues facing CSDM schools are leaking roofs and leaking exterior masonry, plumbing and electrical systems in need of upgrading, outdated or nonexistent ventilation systems, and doors and windows that need replacing. Last year, CSDM temporarily closed at least four schools for much-needed decontamination and renovation work.
Quebec’s provincial government allocated $50-million to the CSDM to address its $1.7-billion maintenance backlog, an amount that equates to less than $3 for every $100 of disrepair.