The most dilapidated schools in Quebec: the ministry refuses to demolish this building in bad shape

Tiles falling from the ceiling, floors sagging, pipes freezing in winter: the Aux-Quatre-Vents school in Sainte-Julie is one of the worst in the province. Students and teachers will have to be patient, however, since its demolition has just been refused by the Ministry of Education.

The brown, old-fashioned and gloomy building stands out in this neat suburban district where freshly painted bungalows are proudly lined up, surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges.

Built in 1977 from prefabricated units, the school has no foundation, which has caused structural problems over time.

“When there are students who are in the gymnasium, we know it immediately, that shake even in the staff room, ”says a teacher who refused to be identified, for fear of reprisals.

The floor is sagging in several places, and wooden beams had to be added in the void under the school, we can read in a building inspection report produced by the Patriotes school service center.

The building is not well insulated, so the pipes freeze in the winter, and the tops of the walls warp in the summer from the humidity.

A few years ago, the floor covering was replaced in a few places. Students had gotten stuck in pieces that had taken off, reports the teacher.

TILES FALLING FROM THE CEILING

On the ceiling, darkened rings remind us that the water has already made its way there. “The vast majority of the ceilings are in poor condition and some have surface stains that may be due to infiltration,” the report reads.

Last year, a dozen tiles even fell from the ceiling, in the class of a colleague, says the teacher. Fortunately, the room was empty at that time.

The soundproofing between the classes is also so bad that the teachers of adjoining classes have to work together to plan the exam periods at the same time, “otherwise the students have too much difficulty concentrating”.

The windows are all old, several no longer open or open only halfway. “Sewage smells” sometimes even emanate from the taps.

Several employees, and even students, regularly complain of headaches, sore throats or nosebleeds, reports another staff member. Air quality tests were carried out a few years ago, but no anomalies were detected.

A NEW CONSTRUCTION RECLAIMED

The Patriotes school service center is well aware of these problems and is asking the Ministry of Education for a brand new building to replace this one. The school grounds are large, which would make it possible to construct a new building while the students continue to occupy the old building.

The construction of a new school would also make it possible to use the old building as a transitional school, in order to house students from the six other schools in the sector in turn, while they are being thoroughly renovated.

However, this project did not receive the green light from Quebec this year. Two other elementary schools in the same service center – Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine school in Boucherville and Albert-Schweitzer school in Saint-Bruno – will however be demolished and rebuilt over the next few years.