A joint release made on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 announced that Ontario's provincial government would be building a new elementary school in the Halton District School Board (HDSB) in North Oakville.
Currently called "Oakville NE #3 Public School", the province is investing $20.8 million for the project, which in turn will create nearly 800 student spaces in Town.
In a unique (but safe given the current conditions) announcement format, Ontario's Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos led Tuesday's announcement via a Zoom call.
The new northeast school is expected to be completed by 2023, and will be built north of Dundas St. and east of Eighth Line. The school is slated to include 788 new student spaces (all at the elementary level), 88 new licensed childcare spaces and five new childcare rooms. There is no word yet on which specific grades the school will teach.
"In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made safer schools a priority, which is why we continue to invest in modern and accessible learning spaces with improved ventilation," said Minister Lecce. "This investment is part of our multiyear plan to build, expand, and update schools and childcare spaces across our province."
Triantafilopoulos adds that this will be beneficial to North Oakville for a variety of reasons: "Rapid growth in North Oakville has meant too many students being bussed long distances out of their community or having to learn in portables."
This is the fourth new school announced for and/or opened in the in Oakville North-Burlington riding since 2018. That list includes two public elementary schools, one Catholic elementary school and one public high school.
Margo Shuttleworth, Chair of the Halton District School Board. says the board is "grateful for the support of the Ontario government and the Ministry of Education for funding the building of this new school which will be designed to accommodate the new growth in North East Oakville."
"It is wonderful to see how we are working together to reduce accommodation pressures and temporary locations for students brought about by the great population growth in communities within our region."