'Decades of neglect': MPP calls out Ontario education minister over flooding at west-end Toronto school

Toronto MPP Bhutila Karpoche used her umbrella to shield herself from heavy rain Monday morning when she walked over to a high school in her riding to speak with Grade 10 students. The last thing she expected was to need to use it inside.

Toronto MPP Bhutila Karpoche used her umbrella to shield herself from heavy rain Monday morning when she walked over to a high school in her riding to speak with Grade 10 students. The last thing she expected was to need to use it inside.

Karpoche told CP24 that when she arrived at Humberside Collegiate Institute she was advised there would be a “short delay” before she could head over to the auditorium.

The Parkdale-High Park New Democratic Party MPP said that she waited as staff hurried to section off several parts of the school that had been flooded.

In a now-viral post on X, Karpoche said that the school’s principal then took her around the building to show her what happens every time heavy rain falls. The principal told her there are 20 spots inside Humberside that must be checked for water, she said.

Karpoche took photos and videos of the mess and posted them on social media.

In one clip, rain can be heard and seen falling from the ceiling above a stairwell. She said that an entire section of a stairwell spanning three floors was closed due to flooding. That water then pooled and leaked into the hallway, Karpoche wrote.

In another video, which was taken inside Humberside’s auditorium, garbage bins and buckets are seen being used to collect rain falling from the ceiling.