Some parents in Outremont are worried because a new REM train station is being built right next to their children’s elementary school.
Blasting has started at the construction site of the new Edouard-Montpetit station, right next door to St. Germain Elementary School.
It has Vanessa Ramirez, a parent, shaken up.
“It felt like it was coming from underneath the ground. It was quite powerful,” she said.
She is among parents concerned about the health and safety of their children, saying there’s a lack of transparency.
They also say they aren't given much notice for the REM's information sessions: parents said they first heard about the construction at the end of the school year. a meeting was called with the REM at the last minute -- in the morning for a meeting that evening, forcing many parents to miss it. When they ask questions, they say the answers aren’t satisfactory and emails aren’t answered very quickly.
When complete, the tunnel leading to the station will be the second-deepest in North America, at about 20 storeys down.
Getting the work completed will require dynamite blasts twice a day for the next year. The REM has scheduled blasts for around 7 a.m. And 7 p.m. Daily.
“We have kids coming into the school at 7:30, so if the blast is delayed 15-20 minutes, the blast will happen while kids are potentially coming into the schoolyard,” said parent Deborah Murrow.
Murrow said she wishes there'd been an impact assessment show how the work could affect young children.
On its website, the REM posts the average of fine particulates in the air from a 24-hour period – but not the raw data, which could show spikes during the day.
“We want to know what the numbers are when our kids are in school and breathing the polluted air, being exposed to noise pollution,” said Murrow.
REM spokesperson Jean-Vincent Lacroix said the REM has made changes based on the parents' concerns voices at the meetings, including blasting onty outside of school hours. The work is within strict norms set out by the province.
“For example, we have sprayers to make sure we control dust. We have blasting mats when we do a controlled blast to make sure there are no projectiles at all,” he explained, adding that more detailed, real-time data will be posted to the REM’s website in the coming days.
Lacroix said over time, the blasts will be deeper underground, resulting in less noise and impact above ground.
Parents say they want more communication and assurances that their children's health is a priority.
“We want to have the reassurance that our children are going to be okay playing in a playground as opposed to wearing masks,” said Ramirez.
The REM said it will continue to listen to concerns and work to find a solution.
The station is only expected to be complete by 2022.
