As the federal government considers whether to offer up the Asticou Centre in Gatineau, Que., to 1,500 high school students from École secondaire Mont-Bleu, the logistical impact on hundreds of federal office workers is already becoming clear.

The students were displaced when the school was struck by lightning as tornadoes tore through the Ottawa-Gatineau region on Sept. 21.

Some six hundred federal employees currently work at Asticou, however, and it's not certain they'd be able to stay if the students are relocated there.

Another hundred or so workers who'd planned to move to Asticou this year so their Ottawa offices could undergo asbestos remediation have also now been told to put those plans on ice — possibly for months.

Lengthy repairs

The Commission scolaire des Portages-de-l'Outaouais (CSPO), the school board which includes École secondaire Mont-Bleu, asked the federal government for permission to relocate students to the Asticou Centre.

It could take 10 months for repairs to be complete at Mont-Bleu, according to the CSPO.

The board says the nearby public service training centre, which was once a high school, is the obvious choice as a temporary home — and the federal government is showing signs it's taking the request seriously,

On Thursday, workers at Ottawa's La Salle Academy government facility who were expecting to move to Asticou during asbestos repairs received an email telling them to stop packing.

"Our workplace continues to be safe and healthy," said the email signed by Taki Sarantakis, president of the Canada School of the Public Service.

"At this point, no scheduled date has been set for the move from La Salle to Asticou has been confirmed," the email said. "Please stay tuned for updates in the coming months."

Patrick St-Georges is the vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's agriculture union. He says federal workers are empathetic with students at Ecole secondaire Mont-Bleu, but they also feel like they've been left in the dark about their proposed relocation to the Asticou Centre. (Radio-Canada)

'They have lives too'

"It's a pretty dire situation. There are a lot of students displaced," said Patrick St-Georges, who is with the Public Service Alliance of Canada's agriculture union.

While it's "not an option" for students not to have a place to study, St-Georges said relocating employees is also difficult, and some feel they've been left in the dark about the plans.

The fact that there are asbestos concerns makes them nervous to stay longer than necessary, he added.

"They have lives too. They have families, children. We need to have a plan," St-Georges said.

More than 200 students from l'École secondaire de l'Île protested over the arrival of students at École secondaire Mont-Bleu in Gatineau. (Radio-Canada/Florence Ngué-No)

The CSPO hopes decisions can be made by January.

In the short term, students will begin attending classes Monday at an existing high school called l'École secondaire de l'Île.

But even before they move in, tension over the arrangement has led to a protest at l'École secondaire de l'Île.

Sources with the CSPO told CBC News that while Asticou is a perfect choice as a former high school, it would still need a number of additions, including laboratories, lockers and sinks.