As cold and flu season approaches, 18 Greater Victoria elementary schools don't have a full-time custodian
Kids are back at school, bringing germs into the classroom with them — and teachers in Greater Victoria worry there's a lack of custodians to keep their schools properly clean.
“It’s really concerning for teachers when their classrooms need to be cleaned and there’s nobody there -- and not just classrooms but the bathrooms,” said Ilda Turcotte, president of the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association.
She said a lack of custodians last year led to instances of vomit not getting cleaned up for hours at schools. “Things sat for most of the day, until somebody could come and clean,” said Turcotte on Thursday.
Turcotte also said with cold and flu season right around the corner, along with COVID cases rising, a lack of cleaning staff for desks and other surfaces is a concern.
After pressure last year -- the Greater Victoria School District hired five additional custodians for this year.
The district is still at least nine custodians short of what they had a couple years ago, when all schools in Greater Victoria had a full-time custodian during the day.
SD 61 confirms that it has 18 schools -- all smaller elementary schools, including James Bay School — that don’t have a full-time custodian during the day.
Declining funding has meant there are three fewer custodians in the district now than there were five years ago, and 12 less than there were in 2010 — even though there are more students and more spaces to clean at the schools.
In a statement to CTV News, B.C.’s education minister, Rachna Singh, attributed the shortage of custodians to the ongoing labour shortage, telling CTV "a tight labour market is a reality for many sectors throughout B.C. We are actively working to support school districts in their recruitment of qualified staff including custodians.”
The real problem, according to the district and teachers, is a lack of funding from the province.
“If there was enough money to go around to address all of the shortfalls and all of the needs of the schools, we wouldn’t be in situations like this,” said Turcotte.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.