Union officials are speaking out about the city's decision to temporarily close the Thunder Bay Conservatory due to health and safety reasons.
The facility has been closed to the public for at least two months, reportedly due to panes of glass falling from the roof.
CUPE Local 87 president Marie Dean said those claims are false, and that her members have never seen a piece of glass fall on its own.
She added that there have been cracks, which requires the panes to be replaced. And she questioned the information being put out to the public about the closure.
“I think (statements about the closure) leads people to believe that there’s glass raining down within the greenhouse, and that’s really not the situation,” Dean said during an interview with Thunder Bay Television.
“The city told us they are trying to practice due diligence in regards to the health and safety of people ... I understand that, but what I hear from our members is that they’ve never had a pane of glass that has actually fallen down into the conservatory.”
City manager of facilities and fleet Michael Smith said he doesn't want to get into a debate through the media, but he insists that a pane of glass did fall earlier this month.
And he added that the decision to close the conservatory was done for the safety of the public and the employees there.
A report on the facility's viability will be presented to Council this spring.
(Thunder Bay Television)
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