"Minister Ottenheimer stated this morning that he is not going to change his mind in relation to this project," said Mr. Joyce. "While he has indicated that he is willing to meet with the parents, he indicated to me that this would only provide false hope. The minister stated that increasing the height of the school gymnasium would delay the opening of the school. Parents and students have already stated that they would accept this delay and make alternative arrangements if government would invest the necessary funds to see this project proceed.

"The School Board and the Department of Education officials seem to have botched this project. No cost analysis has been completed and the minister is unsure how much it would cost to raise the roof. Now is the time to fix this problem. If it is not rectified now, this problem will always exist. This is not fair to the young people of the Bay of Islands who work so hard to make sporting teams and host tournaments.

"The last number of schools constructed in the province had the proper height for their gymnasium. The students of the North Shore of the Bay of Islands should not be discriminated against. The students are the ultimate losers with this situation and will be the ones penalized for this oversight by the school board and the Department of Education. Minister Ottenheimer stated in our meeting that this issue was discussed thoroughly with the school councils. In actual fact, this issue was never discussed during any meetings with myself, students, teachers or the school councils and was not identified as a problem until construction started.

"The Minister of Education seems misinformed about this project and is not willing to give this issue any further analysis. Now is the time for Nada Borden, school district chair, to become directly involved in this issue. This project falls directly under her responsibility and she must stand up for the people that she represents. If she fails to do so, we will once again see the errors of political appointments to school boards instead of elected officials who are held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.

"I have recently written to school board officials asking them to meet with the school councils. The school board must start working for the parents and students and not solely represent the views of government. I am hopeful that common sense will still prevail and the height of the gymnasium will be raised before it is too late."