Province to fund 7 school construction projects in London area to tune of nearly $70 million

The province announced Wednesday it plans to invest nearly $70 million to fund the construction of three new schools, two school additions, and two school retrofitting projects in the London area.

The funding plan was unveiled by Deputy Premier and London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews during a news conference at Masonville Public School in the city’s north end. Matthews was joined alongside trustees from the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB), and Lambton Kent District School Board.

As part of the investment, the three school boards will receive funding totalling $67.4 million that will go toward seven construction projects. The projects will accommodate 2,300 in total and see six new child-care rooms with 112 new licensed child-care spaces, the province said.

The TVDSB will receive $14 million for the construction of a new school in the city’s southeast end that will accommodate 500 students and contain 88 new child-care spaces, while Masonville and Tweedsmuir Public Schools will see additions to the tune of $6 million and $3.7 million, respectively.

The LDCSB, meantime, will receive $10.5 million for the construction of a new 500-student elementary school in north London and $3.2 million for a retrofit project at St. Bernadette’s School.

“North London schools are well overcapacity,” said John Jevnikar, chair of the board of trustees for the LDCSB. “I think the four London schools have a capacity of around 1,500. We’re almost at 2,000 students that we’re accommodating there in the buildings plus 17 portables.”

Outside of the city, the Lambton Kent District School Board plans to construct a new 1,024-student school in the Forest area at a cost of $27.4 million and retrofit Tecumseh Public School at a cost of $2.6 million. The new school will also contain an additional 24 child-care spaces.

In a statement, the province said Wednesday’s funding announcement was part of a larger $784-million investment plan to construct 39 new schools and initiate 40 renovation or addition projects across Ontario. More than 2,700 licensed child-care spaces are also being created as part of the plan.