SCHOOLS. The Centre de services scolaire des Chênes (CSSDC) has learned that the budget allocated to it for the maintenance of its buildings, during the next fiscal year, will drop from $22 million to $4 million compared to the current year.
This budget reduction is cause for concern for the CSSDC. The organization wants to keep its buildings in good condition as they are currently. However, the Ministry of Education has chosen to prioritize the restoration of the province’s buildings that pose a greater danger to the health and safety of users.
“We have a property portfolio that is in relatively good condition,” reassures Director General Lucien Maltais. “We have been investing a lot of money in it for several years. For next year, we are forecasting $4 million; which does not suit us. The ministry is producing a draft budgetary rule that projects us $4 million. This is causing concern. We have expressed our desire for it to be adjusted upwards. The current gap is significant. We will wait for the final parameters. Maybe things will be resolved, but we are not the only school service centre in this situation.”
“We have a real estate portfolio that needs maintenance, but there are no situations that put the health and safety of the occupants at risk compared to other school service centres,” says Simon Lavoie, Director of Material Resources. “It’s certain that we can be penalized knowing that we don’t have these signs of degradation here. When there are any, we resolve them quickly.”
The CSSDC will not give up if the ministry decides not to increase the planned budget. Lucien Maltais says the team will roll up its sleeves to carry out priority work and prepare a detailed report for the following year.
“The good news is that we don’t have any schools for which the safety and integrity of the building are targeted. For one year, this is something that we can deal with or accept the situation. However, in the medium and long term, government investments will be needed. The less work we can do in advance, the less we can be preventive and the more the buildings tend to deteriorate. We don’t want to do work at the last minute and we’ve never done it,” Mr. Maltais emphasizes.
Project delayed
The significant budget reduction will have an impact on the Jean-Raimbault high school renovation project. Indeed, a vast project of approximately $16 million is planned. The aim was to take advantage of the opening of the Bosquet school and the presence of modular classrooms to carry out a major renovation of the Pelletier Street establishment.
“We have put our call for tenders for professionals on hold while we wait for the budget rules. Afterwards, we will reposition ourselves based on the budget to know what we will do. The options of spreading the work over several years or planning it in different phases will be evaluated. The Jean-Raimbault school is a number of years old and has several dilapidated components,” explains Mr. Lavoie.
The Director of Material Resources estimates that this upgrade could have been completed within a year and a half with an appropriate budget, but that the uncertainty regarding funding means that the project will take longer to complete.
Between now and the start of the school year, the School Service Centre will have to continue planning its upcoming building maintenance work, but also establish its space needs for the coming years. In September, it will have to formally submit projects for adding classes in anticipation of the 2025-2035 Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI).
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