Air quality concerns grow as more companies surround Moncton school

Parents and district officials want the municipal and provincial governments to move several industries that have cropped up around a Moncton school to protect the children from air pollution.

'There should be some incentive ... to those companies so they can move to an industrial park.' — Luc Lajoie, spokesman District 1

The children going to École Champlain in Moncton are surrounded by an industrial zone, making it almost impossible to see a house from their school yard.

Parents and administrators at School District 1 in Moncton say there are too many industrial plants around the school and they say the pollution could be harming the 560 students from kindergarten to Grade 5 that go to this school.

Luc Lajoie, a spokesman with the district, said the province and the city should pay to move these companies elsewhere.

"My point of view is that the school was there before most of those companies," Lajoie said.

"There should be some incentive given, and it's only my opinion … to those companies so they can move to an industrial park."

School built in 1969

Lajoie said when the school was built in 1969 there was only one asphalt plant next door. He said now there are dozens of industrial companies polluting the air.

"We have to address this thing, we have to see the city, the department, everybody that's concerned here and do something about this because it's the health of our children," he said.

The Department of Environment has set up instruments to monitor the air quality for at least six months. When the results are available they will be published weekly on the government's internet site.

Some days the students have to stay inside because the asphalt plant across the school yard belches out too much smoke or the fumes from the propane recycling plant are too strong.

"Now with the landscaping company, with the construction company, with the recycling company, with the asphalt company, well we're having more and more problems," he said.

Lajoie said the school district has formed a committee of parents, neighbours and representatives of government departments to address their concerns.