Regina school to close due to 'structural concerns'
Holy Rosary Community School will be closing its doors due to structural concerns.
A letter was sent to the Ministry of Education as part of the school board’s Major and Minor Capital Funding and Projects Submission highlighting the need for a rebuild.
It was voted on at Monday night’s school board meeting.
“The foundation of this building is seriously compromised despite the current remedial structural work. This school has an inevitable end of life date,” read the proposal.
Holy Rosary School began construction in 1914, with additions in 1928 and 1971.
Regina Catholic School Division provided notice to parents regarding the closure on Tuesday.
Ryan Lauf, a parent of two boys at the school, said his children are upset about the news.
“[My eldest] has developed friendships along the way that are continuing to grow and he’s quite sad that the school’s closing and he’s going to lose his friends,” he said.
“As far as being parents, we love the school because of the smaller class sizes it has. We feel that the kids are getting a better education, they get more one-on-one time with the teachers than they would in some of the other schools.”
Twylla West, communications and media co-ordinator for Regina Catholic Schools, said that while staff were hanging signage on part of the building last summer, the structural issues were revealed.
“[An engineering firm] revealed that, very plainly, the original building for Holy Rosary School has reached the end of its useful life,” she said.
“It was a bit of a tough day at the school [Wednesday] I think, a very emotional day because it’s not what everybody wanted to hear.”
The engineering firm provided three years as a timeline for closure. However, the school will officially close by the end of June of 2024.
“We don’t want to risk anybody so we are being very conservative with the timeline to make sure that we’re not compromising anybody’s safety,” West said.
The school division will consult with families at a private meeting to gather feedback and guidance on determining next steps.
“Our main focus right now is just taking care of the students and what they need and what their families need. It’s a really important community to Regina Catholic Schools, staff, the students, and the families, and it has been for over 100 years.”
“After that, we’ll be able to look at more big picture pieces but we want to take care of them first.”
--With files from CTV News Regina's Katy Syrota
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.