Safety of Schools and Childcare Facilities in Nunavut
Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts
Safety of Schools and Childcare Facilities in Nunavut
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3 April 2014
Ronnie Campbell
Assistant Auditor General
Unnusakkut, good afternoon everyone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to discuss our report on the safety of schools and childcare facilities in Nunavut. Joining me at the table are Michelle Salvail, Principal, and Jo Ann Schwartz, Director, who were responsible for this audit.
Responsibility for ensuring the safety of students in schools and children in childcare facilities is shared by the Department of Education and the Department of Community and Government Services.
In this audit, we looked at whether these two departments complied with their key responsibilities related to safety in schools and childcare facilities. The audit work was conducted in all three regions of Nunavut.
I would like to provide you with a brief overview of the findings of the report.
With regard to childcare facilities, we found that the Department of Education is only meeting its requirement to conduct annual inspections one third of the time. One quarter of the inspections were more than four months late. In one instance, more than two years had passed since the childcare facility was inspected.
When inspections were conducted and deficiencies were identified, we found that the Department did not ensure that these deficiencies were corrected before it issued a license. Consequently, some childcare facilities were operating despite known deficiencies. Furthermore, we found that some childcare facilities operated without a valid license.
We also found that the Department of Community and Government Services does not conduct fire inspections of childcare facilities twice a year as is set out in its own internal procedures. For the sample of childcare facilities we looked at, a fire inspection was conducted twice yearly only about one third of the time. For two of the childcare facilities in our sample, no fire inspections were carried out in 2010, 2011, or 2012.
With regard to schools, we found that the Department of Education does not meet the requirements for emergency evacuation drills. In the schools we looked at, none of the principals carried out the required number of evacuation drills. Failure to conduct these drills jeopardizes students’ safety and also the safety of school staff.
We also found that, similar to our observations for childcare facilities, the Department of Community and Government Services does not conduct fire inspections of schools twice a year as indicated in its own internal procedures. Fire inspections were performed twice a year in only five of the eight schools we audited.
Mr. Chairman, we would like to point out that in both childcare facilities and schools, the Department of Community and Government Services does not ensure that deficiencies identified in fire inspections are addressed. For example, 60 percent of the deficiencies noted in the fire inspections of the schools within our sample had been previously raised in at least one other inspection. For both schools and childcare facilities, we found that regardless of the severity of the deficiency, the follow-up to check whether it had been corrected does not occur until the next fire inspection.
Based on our audit work, we identified a need for the clarification of guidance related to the inspection of childcare facilities including the requirements to follow up on deficiencies.
Further, we recommend that the departments of Education and Community and Government Services work together to clarify their roles and responsibilities, and identify and share the information that is needed to ensure that identified deficiencies are addressed.
In view of the serious nature of our findings, we sent letters to the deputy ministers of both departments in June 2013 while the audit was underway. Our goal was to raise concerns requiring immediate attention regarding inspections of schools and childcare facilities.
The Department of Education and the Department of Community and Government Services have agreed with our recommendations and have made several commitments in their responses. Mr. Chairman, your Committee may wish to seek details from officials about some of these actions. In particular, your Committee may wish to ask how the entities intend to ensure that safety inspections of schools and childcare facilities are completed as required and that identified deficiencies are addressed.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my opening remarks. My colleagues and I would be pleased to answer any questions Committee members may have. Thank you.