Ontario Building New Secondary Schools in Clarence-Rockland and Orleans
Province more than doubles funding to build new schools, faster
Rockland, ON — The Ontario government is investing $62.2million in the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario for a new École secondaire publique Rockland and a new École secondaire publique Orléans Sud, helping working families in our regions, as announced by Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell.
This will support the creation of 414 secondary student spaces in Clarence-Rockland and 713 secondary student spaces in Orleans/Ottawa as part of the government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art learning spaces for Ontario students.
These projects are part of a $1.3 billion plan that more than doubles funding to build new schools and expansions, including child care spaces.
“Investing $62.2 million in our schools means investing in the future of our region in Clarence-Rockland and Orleans. Together, we’re not only building school facilities but also laying down strong foundations for the learning of every student. It’s a commitment to educational excellence and the development of our youth.” – Stéphane Sarrazin, Member of Provincial Parliament for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
The overall investment, which is the highest ever made in a single year, supports the creation of more than 27,000 new student spaces and more than 1,700 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.
Ontario’s government unveiled a new plan to build faster, including providing school boards with more flexibility and support to get shovels in the ground quicker and have more options to use existing buildings in their communities. These changes are part of the government’s plan to ensure that the public education system focuses on what matters most: important life-long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; and maximizing capital assets.
“Our government is investing in new schools and improved infrastructure across the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families, and growing communities.” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These are part of our historic investment of more than $190 billion over the next ten years to build and deliver the critical infrastructure Ontarians deserve today, and for future generations to come.”
The 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario continues to support the province’s work being delivered in the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act to build schools faster and better use taxpayer-funded assets.
“We are delighted with this funding and thank the Ontario government for recognizing the demographic growth in the Clarence-Rockland and Orleans South regions, and the crucial importance of improving access to French-language education in our region.” Said Pierre Tessier, vice-president of CEPEO
“We need modern schools to meet the growing needs of the francophone population in the region and ensure its sustainability. These new public schools in Clarence-Rockland and Orleans South will contribute to the flourishing of our community by offering high-quality education in French.” Declared Christian-Charle Bouchard, Director of Education at CEPEO:
Highlights of the projects include:
- A $23.3 million investment for a École secondaire publique Rockland to be located at Rue de l’Étang & Rue de La Berge in Clarence-Rockland, creating 414 student spaces.
- A $39 million investment for a École secondaire publique Orléans Sud to be located at Chemin Mer Bleue & Chemin Renaud in Ottawa, creating 713 student spaces.
QUICK FACTS
- In December 2023, the Ministry of Education announced Ontario’s plan to help build schools faster through a transparent, accountable and more efficient process. In the recent Capital Priorities round, school boards were encouraged to standardize the design of new school construction, identify opportunities to work together on joint-use school projects, and bring forward shovel-ready proposals.
- Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.
- In 2023-24, the ministry provided renewal funding of approximately $1.4 billion to school boards to revitalize and renew aged building systems and components. The same amount has been allocated for the 2024-25 school year.
- The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to provide about $16 billion to support new school construction, renewal and improvement over 10 years.
- The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 ensures the public education system focuses on what matters most: teaching important life‑long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; maximizing capital assets of boards to support building modern schools faster and better utilizing current school capacity.
- Ontario secured a $13.2 billion agreement with the federal government that will lower fees for families to an average of $10 a day for children under the age of six under the Canada‑wide Early Learning and Child Care system.
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Media contact
Office of MPP Stéphane Sarrazin
Noémie Prevost
Communication and Public Relations Assistant
613 677-8347
noemie.prevost@pc.ola.org