Halifax Board of School Commissioners

Summary of Halifax Board of School Commissioner minutes relating to the Halifax Explosion (102-53-2)

This page provides a summary of Board of School Commissioners minutes relating to the Halifax Explosion. Meeting dates are hyperlinked to a PDF containing digitized minutes from that session which relate to the Explosion.

December 17, 1917

  • Re-opening of schools
  • Saving school property
  • Teachers injured by Explosion
  • Transportation of children to operational schools
  • Deputation, and condition of building fabric

December 28, 1917

  • Free transportation of school children
  • Richmond School new addition
  • Alexander McKay School
  • Examination of schools
  • Estimated cost of repairs
  • Funding
  • Use of schools by Reconstruction Relief Committee
  • Africville, Alexandra, St. Patricks’ Boys’ School

January 11, 1918

  • Report of the Committee on School Sites
  • Re-opening of schools
  • Transportation of school children
  • Reference to specific schools include: College St. School, Bloomfield, Chebucto, and Joseph Howe Schools
  • Chairman’s Report regarding repairs to school buildings
  • Explosion repair accounts $850.58
  • Construction accounts $3,828

January 14, 1918

  • Coal shortage - worry that school should not open
  • Letters from concerned Board of Control, the Relief Committee, and Hon. R.G. Beazley, Fuel Controller, addressed at meeting
  • Board of School Commissioners decide schools to remain open until shortage occurs

January 31, 1918

  • Repairs to schools
  • Letters proposing Morris St. School be used as a place for relief work

February 27, 1918

  • Committee on Finance - Explosion accounts $10,846.17
  • Temporary repair work on various schools a success
  • Temporary relocation of classes until repairs made/schools built
  • Letter addressing $3,000 donation from the school children of Chicago ($1,000 for books, $2,000 to Blind Relief)

March 4, 1918

  • Additional loan for repairs to Bloomfield High School

April 4, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - Explosion accounts $10,212.92
  • Discussion of portable school houses
  • Representative of Teachers Union thanks the Board for increase in wages and their promptness in making school buildings fit again for teaching, resuming classes

April 18, 1918

  • Adjusting of losses on the Alexander McKay and Richmond school buildings, and the speedy completion of the Alexander McKay

April 24, 1918

  • Alexander McKay School repairs

May 3, 1918

  • Explosion accounts $5,305.48
  • Committee on Teachers - appointments and relocation
  • Portable school houses have arrived and soon will be set up

May 10, 1918

  • Discussion of insurance rebate for buildings not totally destroyed
  • Chebucto School - cleaning of school grounds
  • Children at Exhibition Grounds

May 30, 1918

  • Explosion accounts $7,038.44
  • Insurance rebates for rebuilding/repairs

June 12, 1918

  • Morris St. School - need for building to resume functioning as a school instead of being used as a hospital (deadline August 15)

June 26, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings

July 5, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings
  • School nurses yearly report (11 children listed killed in Explosion, 249 eye cases, 91 received treatment)
  • Explosion Accounts $12,194.11
  • Repairs to Bloomfield High, Chebucto, Joseph Howe, Oxford, and St. Patricks’ Girls’ High schools

July 22, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - Oxford School usage (Health Board to Hospital)
  • Morris St. School - removal of hospital in August

September 5, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings

October 3, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings and Committee on Finance - Explosion Repair Account $18,701
  • Inspection of school buildings by Board
  • Alexander McKay School ready by November 1
  • School children with defective eyesight due to Explosion

October 7, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - plans for Bloomfield, St. Joseph’s, and St. Patricks’ schools
  • Alexander McKay School grading of playgrounds
  • Morris Street School garage
  • Oxford Street School fumigation

October 22, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - letter from Chairman to J.P. Quinn, Chairman, Board of School Commissioners regarding rebuilding North End Schools destroyed by Explosion
  • Purchasing building sites for school property
  • Explosion Repair Account - advance of $50,000 received for civic and school repairs

October 28, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings Report to Halifax Relief Commission - Explosion Repair Account: “The Chairman read reports of Explosion repairs on Schools, estimate of cost of Bloomfield High, Chebucto, Joseph Howe, Oxford and St. Patricks’ Girls’ High Schools, teachers personal and school property losses, furniture and its replacement, new buildings, with estimated total of $785,324.61. Stating that a copy of this estimate had been sent to the Chairman of the Halifax Relief Commission. This amount ($785,324.61) comes within four thousand dollars of the estimate made right after the Explosion.”
  • Plans for building locations/land/rebuilding schools

October 31, 1918

  • Report of the Committee on Finance - Explosion account $9,193.55
  • Care of partially blind victims of Explosion
  • St. Patricks’ Boys’ School plans
  • List of unfinished work

December 4, 1918

  • Care of the Partially Blind, “the Committee(?) recommends the payment of Explosion accounts amounting to … $4,854.48”

December 9, 1918

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - report on school repairs and building

January 9, 1919

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - report on school repairs and building
  • Explosion account $1,725.99, Contracts $475.00, Construction accounts $8,437.01

January 30, 1919

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - Explosion accounts $1,931.10, 5 schools $29,095.47, Construction accounts $11,761.48
  • Options for site of Bloomfield School

February 17, 1919

  • Richmond School plans
  • Bloomfield School - lot for building
  • Payment Alexander McKay School
  • Approval of plans for Bloomfield, Richmond, and St. Joseph's schools

February 27, 1919

  • Construction accounts $12,630.60
  • Explosion accounts $1,527.54
  • 5 schools $44,220.18

March 3, 1919

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings

March 12, 1919

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - plans St. Patricks’ Boys’ School, Bloomfield, St. Joseph’s and Richmond Schools

April 3, 1919

  • Construction accounts $6,735.78
  • Explosion accounts $608.73
  • Explosion accounts (5 schools) $11,186.77
  • Special Explosion account $2,250.00

April 9, 1919

  • Richmond School addition

May 1, 1919

  • Construction accounts - W.T. Harris (?) $1,196.91
  • Explosion account - 5 Schools $31,983.97
  • Explosion accounts $340.49
  • Letters - St Patricks’ Boys’ School plans
  • Bloomfield and St. Joseph’s land
  • Morris St. School - charge for rent to Relief Commission

June 6, 1919

  • Construction accounts $10,013.05
  • Explosion accounts $3,776.89
  • Explosion 5 Schools accounts $14,499.71

July 3, 1919

  • Explosion account - S.M. Brookfield Ltd. $201(?)

September 4, 1919

  • Explosion account $1,821.09
  • Explosion special account $1,500
  • Construction account $1,840.43
  • Report re: tenders for new schools

September 18, 1919

  • Committee on School Sites and Buildings - reduced estimates for Bloomfield, Richmond, St. Joseph's, and St. Patrick's schools

October 30, 1919

  • Explosion accounts $2,202.74