Ontario Building New School in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls – As part of the province’s ongoing efforts to build and improve local schools, the Ontario government has provided the District School Board of Niagara with approval to issue the tender for the new South Niagara Falls Elementary School to create more student spaces and child care spaces. This is supported by an investment of $28.8 million, which includes additional funding of $12.9 million.
Once completed, this project will deliver 608 elementary spaces and forty-nine licensed child care spaces for local families. The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to providing about $15 billion to support school construction, repair and renewal over ten years. Since 2018, the government has approved or supported the development of nearly 300 school-related projects including child care, of which more than 100 are actively under construction.
“The approval of the new South Niagara Falls Elementary School is great news for our region,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
“This investment will ensure students and families in Niagara Falls have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead.”
“The impact of this new build is significant for District School Board of Niagara students, staff and community members,” said Sue Barnett, Chair of the District School Board of Niagara.
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Education for investing in this important project. We know that child care spaces in our schools directly benefit families. The new South Niagara Falls Elementary School will provide an excellent and vibrant learning environment to students for years to come.”
”The benefits of this new elementary school for families in our city are immeasurable,” said Jim Diodati, Mayor of the City of Niagara Falls.
“We are grateful for this investment of the Ontario government and far-reaching impact it will have in our community.”
Additionally, Ontario is taking action to ensure that school board capital assets are used effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of growing communities, support student learning and ensure value for taxpayer dollars. The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, empowers decision-makers to build modern schools faster by better utilizing school capacity, reducing barriers for school boards to facilitate agreements for schools in multi-use buildings such as condo towers, and shortening planning time through design standardization when constructing, renovating, or making additions to schools.
“We are determined to build schools and expansions faster, part of our commitment to modernize schools in fast growing communities,” said Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education.
“We are proud to deliver a new, state-of-the-art South Niagara Falls Elementary School for local families, along with increasing funding, staffing and a back-to-basics focus on reading, writing and math skills to help ensure students graduate with confidence that they can succeed in good-paying careers.”
Highlights of the project include:
- Three new child care rooms (forty-nine new child care spaces)
“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we are building more state-of-the-art schools to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families and growing communities. By investing in innovative and modern learning spaces, we are ensuring students have access to the quality education that will provide them with lifelong skills and education in a safe and healthy environment,” said Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure.
“These investments are one of the ways we are delivering on our promise to build Ontario, with an infrastructure budget of more than $148 billion over the next decade.”
The new South Niagara Falls Elementary School will be located at the intersection of Kalar Road and McLeod Road in Niagara Falls.