Ontario government announced funding for 4 new Ottawa area schools just before election call

Undated photo of empty classroom chairs (Photo by Pixabay)

The Ontario government, in one of its last acts before the legislature was dissolved, announced funding for new schools or school expansions in the province, including in Ottawa.

The Conseil des écoles publiques de l’est de l’Ontario (CEPEO) said Wednesday it received confirmation from the province that it will receive $56 million to build two new schools.

“We gratefully welcome this funding and thank the Ontario government for recognizing the dynamic population growth in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario and the importance of promoting access to French-language public education in Ontario,” said CEPEO president Samia Ouled Ali in a news release Wednesday.

The school board says $40.8 million will go toward a new secondary school in downtown Ottawa that will accommodate 731 students. Another $15.2 million will go toward a 268-student elementary school in Russell.

The funding from the province was announced Monday, a day before Premier Doug Ford went to Lt. Gov. Edith Dumont to dissolve the legislature and trigger an election.

In the announcement from the province was also funding for two new schools in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, Ottawa’s French language catholic school board.

The province pledged $20.2 million for a new 412-student elementary school in the Leitrim area and $19 million for a new $351-student elementary school in the Wateridge area. Also announced was $4.2 million to add 161 student spaces to J.‑L.-Couroux elementary school in Carleton Place and $2.4 million to add 92 student spaces to Notre-Dame-des-Champs elementary school in Ottawa.

The province also announced $3.4 million for a 144-student space expansion to Guardian Angels Elementary School in Stittsville, which is part of the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

The province said it is part of a $1.3 billion package to expand student spaces across Ontario.

A provincial election was officially called Wednesday. Voters head to the polls in Ontario on Feb. 27.