Schools with roof panels that shut Ontario Science Centre have no budget to replace them [Video]

Roughly one in 12 schools in Ontario have the same roof panels that forced the Ford government to urgently close the science centre but, according to internal documents, boards and trustees are being offered no specific funding to manage the cost of replacement and repair.

The Ministry of Education says that eight per cent of all schools in Ontario have Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete — or RAAC — panels in their roofs, the same material that led the government to close the Ontario Science Centre in June fearing “potential roof panel failure due to snow load.”

Despite that, internal government briefings prepared for the minister of education show the province hasn’t opened any new funding streams for school boards and trustees to fix their buildings and remove the problematic panels.

Ministry of Education documents obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws say RAAC is “weaker than traditional concrete” and lay out …