Students return to Jean Ethier Blais after carbon monoxide concerns

Jean Ethier Blais in Sudbury (Jay Baxter-Derro/CTV Northern Ontario)

Update:

Officials at Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario say the cause of an early morning carbon monoxide leak at a Sudbury French public elementary school has been found and corrected.

Students at Sudbury's Jean Ethier Blais have returned to the building after being sent to a nearby church earlier Monday morning.

Crews found that the air handling unit at the school on Lasalle Boulevard was blocked preventing the intake of fresh air, which activated the carbon monoxide detector.

School board officials say there is no further concern for the safety and well-being of students or staff.

Original:

Students at a Sudbury French public elementary school, École publique Jean-Éthier-Blais, have been moved to a nearby church Monday morning after a carbon monoxide leak.

The school, located in the Greater Sudbury neighbourhood of New Sudbury, said in a Facebook post around 9 a.m. Monday that students are to be dropped off at St. Dominique Parish on Diane Street.

CTV News spoke to Carole Dubé, the director of communications at the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario(CSPGNO). She says no one was harmed in the incident and that all kids have been transported to the nearby church while crews are determining the cause.

School board officials say that when the school custodian arrived Monday morning, she turned on the boilers for the building because of the chilly temperatures upon arrival. When she checked the carbon monoxide detectors, that had been installed by CSPGNO during a board-wide initiative last year, the levels were showing an immediate rise. She quickly activated the emergency safety plan, fire crews were dispatched, and the school was evacuated.

Dubé says the safety protocols put in place were effective.

Heating and ventilation experts, as well as a crew from Union Gas is at the school assessing the situation and will work to correct the issue.  More details to follow.