Montreal

Mould in NDG school forcing students to move

Water seeping into the roof of the Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne school in NDG is creating a mould problem and forcing almost 300 children to find a new school for next year.

Closest schools to take in students are several kilometres away

It will take about three years to fix the mould problem in the Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne school once work begins in June 2015. (Jay Turnbull/CBC)

Close to 300 students in Montreal's NDG neighbourhood may have to find a new school after inspectors found mould inside the Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne school on Somerled Avenue.

The school belongs to the French-language school board, Commission scolaire de Montréal.

Inspectors found water was making its way into parts of the roof of the two-storey building, causing mould to develop.

In June, contractors will begin work to fix the problem, but the job could take up to three years.

As a result, the students will have to find a new school for September 2015.

There is a school belonging to the English Montreal School Board next door.

But the EMSB has converted St. Ignatius of Loyola to accommodate students with special needs, and at risk of dropping out.

The nearest French-language schools are several kilometres away.