The Ontario government is investing $550 million to build 20 new schools and upgrade eight schools across the province, creating up to 16,000 student learning spaces and 870 child care spaces.
It is not yet known where the 20 new schools or eight upgraded schools are or if any Niagara schools are included. A full list of affected schools will be released on Oct. 30.
“If we want to invest in our future, we have to invest in young people and today we are doing just that,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said this week at a press conference at Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School in Toronto. “That’s why we made a significant commitment to fix our schools and ensure students and staff have access to the best classrooms, with features like modern ventilation systems and high-speed Internet access. During construction, these projects will create hundreds of jobs and contribute significantly to our economic recovery.”
This investment is part of Ontario’s efforts to improve and modernize schools across the province by investing over $12 billion in grants over 10 years. This also builds on the $1 billion commitment to create up to 30,000 new child care spaces in five years.
This investment will be for the 2020-2021 school year and builds on the $500 million invested in the previous year.
“We must ensure our schools remain safe, our classrooms are modernized, and that we uphold the highest standards for your kids. We know schools are centres of learning, discovery, and development. We know parents expect our schools to be improved and state of the art,” said Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Education. “We will continue to take action to ensure students are safe today and well into the future.”