Oakville's newest elementary school has broken ground.
Politicians, Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) staff and trustees, and local councillors gathered outdoors for the official ground-breaking and blessing ceremony of a new north Oakville Catholic elementary school earlier this week.
This past Wednesday, May 3, Ontario’s Education Minister, Stephen Lecce and Member of Provincial Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington, Effie Triantafilopoulos, also attended the event to mark the start of construction.
The new school on Threshing Mill Boulevard is expected to be completed by September 2024. The two-storey building will accommodate 671 students.
Reverend Jerry Punnassery, Pastor at Mary Mother of God Parish in Oakville, officiated the blessing of the school site.
Stephen Lecce, the Education Minister, said that the event is part of the government’s investment in construction "to get it done for parents, students, and communities."
The provincial government says they are investing $15 billion "over ten years to build new schools, improve existing facilities and create child care spaces to ensure young people can reach their full potential," he added.
Since 2018, the Ontario government has approved five new schools with a total investment of $142.2 million, creating more than 4400 student spaces and more than 350 childcare spaces in Oakville North-Burlington, according to MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos.
Marvin Duarte, Chair of HCDSB Board of Trustees, considered the ceremony to be "an accomplishment for our entire Oakville community – a very concrete example of how working together, we will continue to meet the needs of our growing community."
Though this is the second Catholic school to be built in North Oakville and the fourth in the area to be approved by the province since 2018, local parents believe more schools need to be built, considering the rapid expansion in the area.
In light of this demand, the regional and town councillor of Ward 7, Nav Nanda, stated on social media, "We also did discuss our need for more new schools to be built in Ward 7 for our growing population so can we have less portables. We will continue to advocate on behalf of our residents with more planned discussions and meetings in the near future."