Questions raised about Bessborough School project following budget cuts

An item left in limbo as a result of the budget cuts from the New Brunswick government is a school project in Moncton.

The Bessborough School project was set to replace the current Bessborough School, as well as Hillcrest schools.

The province announced they were delaying the project, although a new timeline is unclear.

Both the roughly 60-year-old schools are currently operating with portable classrooms.

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Tyson Milner, who co-chairs the committee to build a new Bessborough School, says they’re requesting a meeting with Education Minister Dominic Cardy to find out more details about the project’s status“

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“In order to return to balance, our department had to make some difficult choices,” says Education Minister Dominic Cardy.

The previous Liberal government confirmed in February $1.5 million was set aside for planning the project in the 2018-19 budget.

But that leaves parents with questions about the status of the project.

“If it’s truly just a delay, it’s just a hiccup, these things happen, then I guess my reaction would be ‘Ok, then where does Bessborough fit on the priority of this current government?” says Tyson Milner, who co-chairs the parents building committee of Bessborough School. “In lack of any information as to where we are in the priority, we’re kind of left in the dark. so you assume the worst.”

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Milner hopes planning and architectural work will continue, to avoid further delay if, or when, shovels do go in the ground for the project.

He says they’re requesting a meeting with Cardy to figure out more details.

Norval McConnell, who represents both schools on the District Education Council for the Anglophone East School District, says he’s hoping it is simply a delay, but echoes the same concerns.

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“I’d hate to see the delay be a year, and then another delay because we haven’t been able to work on the things that could be done.”

He says he can accept a short-term delay if the projects going ahead are in fact of “higher need,” as long as the architectural work still goes ahead in the meantime.

McConnell says both schools need substantial work, pointing to the fact that the Liberals didn’t accept the schools for ”mid-life” upgrades.