The head of Hamilton’s Catholic school board says nine facilities will be checked every couple of years after structural engineers discovered they contain materials similar to those that led to the closure of the Ontario Science Centre.
Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) chair Pat Daly says a notice from the Ministry of Education in November spurred on the check after it suspected several hundred of the province’s 4,500 schools may contain aerated concrete.
“They found that nine of our schools that were built in the 50s and 60s had, in fact, used it,” Daly said. “They didn’t find any … areas of concern, however they did recommend we continue to reinspect.”
The ministry eluded to the closure of over 100 schools in the United Kingdom last fall due to a risk of crumbling air-filled concrete widely used between the 1950s and 1990s. The discovery had school officials rushing to relocate students to new classrooms or enrol in online teaching last-minute.
Similar concerns were voiced by the province last week over the durability of the now-closed Ontario Science Centre, which had similar materials in its roofing panels.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is lighter and less expensive than standard reinforced concrete. However, it’s said to have a much shorter life span of only around three decades, according to a European study.
Daly says parents have yet to be officially informed of the issue and the schools in question have not been named.
He expects those communications will be happening soon.
“I think now it will be prudent of us for sure to do that now as there wasn’t any cause for concern,” he explained.
The exec expects the structural checks will be blended in with regular water and air quality inspections at the schools in question.