A $1.1 million temporary gym for 200 students displaced from Elbow Park Elementary by the June flood is being called “absolute insanity” by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. (CTF)
The cost for the gym at Earl Grey Elementary, which is in Premier Alison Redford’s riding, pushes the bill for relocating the students to Earl Grey to over $5.3 million, including the cost of a dozen portable classrooms.
The students are still waiting to move into Earl Grey- more than two deadlines have passed, Labour Day and Thanksgiving.
They are currently attending class at a vacant school (Eugene Coste) that’s a 12-minute bus ride from their neighourhood.
“If this was in an area that had no other schools nearby, and there was no other way to accommodate these kids, 5 million would still be pretty high, but perhaps a little more justifiable,” says Derek Fildebrandt of the CTF.
“But when we have nearby schools that are already accommodating these kids, that have room for them, but the only inconvenience is that they have to take a 12 minute bus ride, then we have to ask – what the hell are we spending our money on?”
Premier Redford has denied the students are receiving preferential treatment because they are in her riding.
The students are now expected to move into Earl Grey sometime in November.
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