Province more than doubles funding to build new schools, faster
WHITBY — The Ontario government is investing $53.9 million in the Durham District School Board for the new Maskell Crescent and Coronation Road Public School and the new Cisco Drive and Limoges Street Public School, helping working families in Whitby, as announced by Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby.
This will support the creation of 1,268 elementary student spaces and 49 licensed childcare spaces in Whitby as part of the government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art learning spaces for Ontario students.
These projects are part of a $1.3 billion plan that more than doubles funding to build new schools and expansions, including childcare spaces, announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, as part of the Capital Priorities Program.
“Building new public, catholic, and francophone schools is a top priority for me and hard-working families in Whitby,” said Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MPP for Whitby. “It’s great news that the Ontario Government through the leadership of Minister Lecce is creating modern state-of-the-art schools so that all students can have a better learning environment. These two state-of-the-art schools will address the growth in the student population in West Whitby, allowing for thousands of Whitby students and their families to access quality education and childcare closer to home. Since 2018, our government has approved $67 million in new capital investments for 3 new schools in Whitby, and we have completed 2 new schools plus 4 additions or retrofits with an investment of $27.7 million.”
The overall investment, which is the highest ever made in a single year, supports the creation of more than 27,000 new student spaces and more than 1,700 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.
“Our government is more than doubling the funding to build new schools, which represents the single largest investment in school building in Ontario history,” said Minister Lecce. “We are stepping up with a massive investment to build the homes, schools, and communities our province needs, and to ensure children have access to state-of-the-art schools close to home that gives them real life and job skills to succeed in the future. I want to reiterate my thanks to MPP Lorne Coe for his relentless advocacy for local families.”
Ontario’s government unveiled a new plan to build faster, including providing school boards with more flexibility and support to get shovels in the ground quicker and have more options to use existing buildings in their communities. These changes are part of the government’s plan to ensure that the public education system focuses on what matters most: important life-long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; and maximizing capital assets.
“Our government is investing in new schools and improved infrastructure across the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families, and growing communities.” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These are part of our historic investment of more than $190 billion over the next ten years to build and deliver the critical infrastructure Ontarians deserve today, and for future generations to come.”
The 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario continues to support the province’s work being delivered in the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act to build schools faster and better use taxpayer-funded assets.
“We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, and Whitby MPP Lorne Coe for their support in addressing the educational needs of our growing community. The approval of funding for two new Whitby schools is a testament to our shared commitment to providing accessible and high-quality education to all students. These new schools will not only be spaces for learning, but vibrant community hubs where creativity and growth thrive.”
- Camille Williams-Taylor, Director of Education, Durham District School Board
Highlights of the projects include:
• A $30.5 million investment for the new Maskell Crescent and Coronation Road Public School at a site to be acquired in Whitby, creating 634 elementary student spaces and 49 licensed childcare spaces.
• A $23.4 million investment for the new Cisco Drive and Limoges Street Elementary School at a site to be acquired in Whitby, creating 634 elementary student spaces.
QUICK FACTS
• In December 2023, the Ministry of Education announced Ontario’s plan to help build schools faster through a transparent, accountable and more efficient process. In the recent Capital Priorities round, school boards were encouraged to
standardize the design of new school construction, identify opportunities to work
together on joint-use school projects, and bring forward shovel ready proposals.
• Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.
• For the 2023-24 school year, the province is providing school boards with approximately $1.4 billion in funding to revitalize and renew aged building systems and components.
• The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to provide about $16 billion to support new school construction, repair, and renewal over 10 years.
• The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 ensures the public education system focuses on what matters most: teaching important life-long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; maximizing capital assets of boards to support building modern schools faster and better utilizing current school capacity.
▪ Ontario secured a $13.2 billion agreement with the federal government that will lower fees for families to an average of $10 a day for children under the age of six under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system. | |
MEDIA CONTACT
Eric Hutchins
Office Manager
Lorne Coe
MPP Whitby
Lorne.coeco@pc.ola.org
905-430-1141