Waterloo school an ‘example’ of provincial disrepair amid calls for funding

Elizabeth Zeigler Public School in Waterloo will be back in the spotlight on Monday as local leaders hold a press conference to call on the province to invest in repairing schools.

Some of those leaders include Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, Kitchener Centre MPP Aislinn Clancy, as well as officials from local education unions, trade unions and parents.

It comes after the school was forced to close back in March because of structural issues, including a large piece of concrete falling off the facade of the building.

Jeff Pelich, the president of the local Waterloo chapter of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said the main message of Monday’s announcement is that schools across the province are in disrepair. He points to Elizabeth Zeigler as an example of what can happen when schools are not taken care of.

“Just the way everything happened last year, very suddenly and the disruption to the school year for many students and staff at the school, and the fact that they had to press pause on the year for some time because of the disrepair could have been avoided,” said Pelich.

He adds that the union was not made aware of any structural issues, which he calls disappointing.

“We heard nothing, then all a sudden the week before March Break we began to hear that there are some challenges and they had to close the school temporarily,” said Pelich.

Since the closure, students have had to attend several different schools, including Sandowne Public School in Waterloo. They are expected to host 450 students from Elizabeth Zeigler this year.

In June, an engineering report showed the extent of the repairs that needed to be made to the school. These included repairing the original structure of the building with a new interior steel frame and additional foundations, as well as repairing and reinforcing the exterior masonry.

The school board confirmed in July that the school would be closed until September 2027 as repairs are completed.

‘Waterloo is ground zero’

The speakers at today’s press conference were all in agreement that decades of chronic underfunding and the failure of governments to address budget shortfalls have led to a massive repair backlog.

“We have so much potential in this community to demonstrate what’s happened here to Elizabeth Ziegler is happening across the province. I, like all the people behind me, believe that public education is worth fighting for. So, this call to action is for the whole province, but right now, Waterloo is ground zero,” said Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife.

She went on to say, “it appears like the premier is focused on anything but education.”

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“So, instead of Doug Ford pouring out a bottle of whiskey, he could be focused on fixing our schools, creating good, healthy learning environments and good local jobs for the economy.”

Greg Bobier with Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin and Grey Building Council told the gathered media that when the call comes, they’ll be there.

“Our contractors are ready. We’re ready to pick up and start this work,” he said.

Kitchener Centre MPP, Aislinn Clancy, spoke today and said the fallout from the closure of Elizabeth Ziegler has caused public pressure on the board and parents alike.

“I talked to a mom whose family was affected by the closure of EZ. It’s created a bunch of chaos, and our board hasn’t seen a red cent to help pay for the cost of portables, transportation. Thank god we have caring staff who have helped kids through this transition.”

Pelich concluded the press conference by issuing the call directly to the province.

“The message we are sending to Premier Ford and his government is so clear: Invest in schools, invest in workers and invest in Ontario’s future. This is not just about brick and mortar, it’s about creating good local jobs, protecting our children’s learning environments and ensuring every community has safe, modern schools it can be proud of.”