New and Expanded Schools Coming to Durham

By Todd McCarthy MPP Durham I am excited to share that our Riding of Durham will directly benefit from the Ontario government’s historic $1.3 billion investment to support the construction and expansion of 60 school-based projects across the province. For the first time in the history of Ontario, our government is more than doubling the funding commitment to build and expand schools, creating 27,093 new student spaces and 1,759 childcare spaces.This investment is the latest stepin our government’s commitment to ensuring children in Ontarioreceive a premier education that sets them up for success as leaders of tomorrow. In addition, for the 2024-2025school year, the province is providing school boards with approximately $1.4B in funding to renew and improve aged buildingsystems and components. Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6B in capital construction projects for education, including 139 new schools, 109 renovations to existing facilities, and over 8,000 new licensed childcare spaces. What does this mean for Durham? On May 17, 2024, I had the pleasure of joiningformer Minister of Education Stephen Lecce to share that, as a part of this historic investment in education,the government has allocated nearly $60 million to build two new schools (Symington Avenue and Steeplechase Street Public Schooland Kedron #1 Catholic)and expand one school in Oshawa (St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School).On top of these investments in Oshawa, $26.2 million is being invested to builda new school in Clarington (Bowmanville) (Northglen Catholic Elementary School)creating more educational spaces for children and families in this growing community. These investments in Durham – totaling nearly $85 million - will create 1,887 student spaces and 49 childcare spaces in Oshawa and Clarington.I am thrilled that children in our community will have the opportunity to learn and develop at these state-of-the-art facilities. As a father myself, I understand how important early childhood education is toensure that our children reach their full potential. I thank Former Minister of Education Stephen Lecce for his dedication to families in our beautiful community, and I look forward to continuing this important work with EducationMinister Todd Smith.Under the leadership of Premier Ford, your government will take every step necessary to ensure Ontario remains the best place to raise children who areempoweredwith a robust education and the necessary skills to achieveprosperous futures. “We are stepping up with a massive investment to build 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.” – Former Education Minister Stephen Lecce “This is great news for Clarington residents who have been eagerly anticipating this announcement. We look forward to seeing construction underway and the start of a new, thriving Catholic school community in Bowmanville,” - PVNC Catholic District School Board Chairperson and Clarington Trustee Kevin MacKenzie. “Our sincere thanks to the Province of Ontario and Ministry of Education, the Honourable Stephen Lecce, [former] Minister of Education, the Honourable Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery [and Procurement] and MPP for Durham, and Mr. Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MPP for Whitby, for this wonderful news for Catholic education. The six-classroom addition to St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School and the new unnamed Catholic elementary school will allow us to address the population growth and continue to serve our students and families in north Oshawa.” - Monique Forster, Chair of the Durham Catholic District School Board.