Montreal French school board shuts down but English board schools open
Montreal’s largest school board — the CSDM — shut down all its schools and institutions Friday while crews cleared snow off the roofs, in what a board spokesman called an “exceptional measure.”
The Montreal French-language school board’s decision came after students at a elementary school in Chelsea in western Quebec were sent home early Friday morning over concerns about heavy snow on the roof. A second Chelsea school closed later in the day.
People across Quebec have been worried about rooftop snow after three women died Wednesday in the Laurentians town of Morin Heights when a warehouse roof collapsed.
The CSDM said about 90,000 students in Montreal were sent to nearby churches and community centres as a precautionary measure given the thick snow accumulated on school roofs.
Signs were posted on school doors to inform parents where the children were taken. The students will be able to stay at the temporary locations until the end of the school day, the board said.
“We’re talking about exceptional measures,” said board spokesman Alain Perron. “It’s been an exceptional winter [with] lots of snow on certain buildings. We’ve asked the janitors to go on top of the schools to see how much snow is up there.”
Touring Laval on Friday, Quebec Education Minister Michelle Courchesne said it was Premier Jean Charest who asked school boards to inspect their buildings in the wake of the Morin Heights tragedy.