Aurora College has temporarily closed its Northern United Place campus and moved student services elsewhere in Yellowknife amid complaints about heating issues at the building.
In a notice posted to Facebook on Thursday, the college said the North Slave campus building would be closed on Thursday and Friday. It said student services –including admissions, residence, and counselling services – had been relocated to the 11th floor of the Precambrian Building on 52 street.
On Monday morning, a student living in the building shared a photo with Cabin Radio of their thermostat indicating it was less than 10 degrees inside their unit. They said there was also a chemical smell throughout the building, which they suggested could be glycol.
A person with knowledge of the situation, who asked Cabin Radio that they not be named, said there have been ongoing issues with the boilers at Northern United Place.
“The building is ice cold,” they said on Monday, adding there were also glycol leaks.
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“It’s not going to be a quick fix. They’re probably going to have to replace the boilers entirely.”
While the individual said they were informed two of the boilers were back up and running by Monday night, they said temperatures in the building have continued to fluctuate and the smell of glycol has persisted.
Northern United Place is owned and managed by the NWT Communities Services Corporation. A representative of the corporation told Cabin Radio on Monday morning that they were working to repair the boilers that heat the building. By 3pm, they said all of the boilers were fully operational.
In response to further questions from Cabin Radio on Thursday, the corporation said their president was away so they were unable to immediately respond.
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Aurora College did not respond to Cabin Radio’s requests for comment.
Issues stretch back years
This is not the first time the college’s Yellowknife campus has experienced issues with a lack of heat and chemical smells.
Cabin Radio reported earlier this month that students living in Northern United Place had lost heat and the college’s library was closed during an extreme cold snap in the city.
Sarah Tilley, Aurora College’s vice-president of student affairs, had said one of the building’s boilers had failed on Monday, January 8. By that weekend, she said, two boilers were working and temperatures were increasing, although it would take time to reheat the large building. She said students living on campus were given space heaters upon request.
In February 2020, students and staff complained of freezing temperatures and an overpowering smell at Northern United Place. The building’s landlord told Cabin Radio at the time that the odour came from proplyene glycol, which is used in the heating system to prevent lines from freezing.
Lynn Morris Jamieson, then the college’s vice president of student affairs, told CBC in February 2020 that the school had been dealing with glycol leaks and smells in the building for around five years by that point.
‘Devastating’ for students
The individual who asked that they not be named said the impact on students has been “disruptive” and “devastating.” They added some people have complained of nausea, dizziness and headaches from glycol leaks.
They said staff and students should be valued and located in an environment where they feel safe.
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The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, or WSCC, said it has previously dealt with employer safety concerns related to issues at Northern United Place which were resolved. It said it is not currently “engaged with any employers on any reports of unsafe work” at the building.
The commission said workers that have safety concerns at their workplace should first inform their employer and work with them to resolve the issue. People can report unsafe work to the commission online.
“From the WSCC’s perspective, employers have a duty to supply a safe workplace. We encourage employers and landlords to work together to achieve this,” a corporation spokesperson wrote in an email to Cabin Radio.
