Classes at York Memorial Collegiate Institute were cancelled on Friday, March 5, after a water main broke on the school's lower level.
The leak was found by caretaking staff around 5 p.m. the previous evening. To avoid damage, the water supply to the entire building has been shut off until the problem can be fixed."We have had workers in last night, early this morning and they will be working all weekend," said Suzana Greenaway, principal at York Memorial."It is our hope and intention that we will be open for Monday."Unclear on how much damage occurred before the leak was discovered, Greenaway felt it was probably minimal and that classes had not been cancelled due to unsafe conditions, but due to a lack of running water in facilities the students need to use on a daily basis. Staff were able to use washrooms and facilities in an adjacent building, so they were still required to come to work.The caretaking staff conduct a monthly safety walkthrough of the entire school and hadn't detected any problems. Greenaway was unaware of any similar problems in the school's recent history.The 1,200 students of York Memorial can keep updated on whether school will be back in session on Monday by checking the schools website, found through www.tdsb.on.ca.