ONTARIO BUILDING SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE SPACES IN WATERLOO REGION

Investment will Support Access to Quality Education Opportunities for Working Families

January 19, 2022

WATERLOO REGION — The Ontario government is investing $45.8 million to build three new schools and new child care spaces to support working families in Waterloo Region. This investment announced by Mike Harris, MPP for Kitchener – Conestoga, joined by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, will support the creation of 1,665 elementary student spaces and 234 childcare spaces as part of the Ford Government’s commitment to building modern, accessible, and technologically connected schools for Ontario youth.

“As a father of 5, I know first-hand how important access to safe, modern and accessible schools and child care spaces is for our communities,” said Mike Harris, MPP for Kitchener – Conestoga. “Three new schools along with hundreds of new child care spaces is great news and will provide more choice and flexibility for families and new opportunities for the children of Waterloo Region.”

These projects are part of a provincewide investment of more than $600 million to support new school and child care spaces recently announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. As part of this investment, the province dedicated more than $565 million to create more than 19,700 new student spaces and 1,500 child care spaces at schools across the province. The overall investment will support 78 school and childcare-related projects.

“Our government is investing in families and children across the Waterloo Region by delivering funding to build three new modern schools and expand child care,” said Minister Lecce. “We are ensuring that modern, internet-connected, accessible, well ventilated schools will be built to respond to growth and support student success, safety, and development. I want to thank parents for their advocacy as we work together to improve our schools and community in ways that will benefit working families in the Waterloo Region for decades to come.”

The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to providing $14 billion to support school construction over ten years. More than 300 child care and education building-related projects are currently in development across Ontario, with more than 100 actively under construction.

Ontario’s investment in new and updated schools will create the foundation for a modern learning environment for hundreds of students across the province.

Highlights of the announced projects include:

QUOTES:

“Waterloo Catholic is extremely pleased with the new funding that has been received for 2 new elementary schools in our board.  With our growing enrollment we know that these new facilities will help us meet the needs within our system.  We are grateful that our community will continue to be able to fulfill our vision to be Heart of the Community – providing Success for Each and A Place for All.  We look forward with great anticipation, as do our staff, students and families to welcoming these two new schools into the Waterloo Catholic family.”

– Loretta Notten, Director of Education, Waterloo Catholic DSB

“Thank you to the provincial government for this significant investment in our children. Schools are vital centres of gravity where our children can learn and play. The new elementary and child care spaces announced today will be important hubs for our community and growing families across the Region of Waterloo.”

– Chair Karen Redman, Region of Waterloo

“On behalf of the Waterloo Region District School Board, our students and families, we want to thank the Ministry of Education and the Province of Ontario for their investment. The funds we receive will support a new school and additional child care spaces for the growing Breslau community,” said chanicka. “For those we serve, this means that families in Breslau will be able to access new learning spaces that will help every student to discover their passion, and embark on a learning journey to reach their fullest potential.”

– jeewan chanicka, Director of Education, Waterloo Region District School Board

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Education for providing the necessary funding to add child care spaces for the school community served by École élémentaire L’Harmonie. With this investment, the ministry is strengthening its commitment to support the growth of the Francophone community in Ontario and is helping to address the pressing need for French-language services in the Waterloo region.”

– Benoit Fortin, Vice-chair of Conseil scolaire Viamonde

The Ontario government has allocated more than $600 million to support ventilation improvements in schools across Ontario as part of its plans for a safer return to school. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has benefited from an investment of $8.6 million for ventilation improvements and has 179 HEPA filter units in place.

Quick Facts:

• On November 4, the province released the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario. The plan lays out how the government will build the foundation for Ontario’s recovery and prosperity by getting shovels in the ground on projects like new schools and child care.

• Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested over $1.5 billion in capital projects in education, including 76 new schools, 75 additions and renovations to existing facilities and 4,908 new licensed child care places.

• For 2021-22, the province is also providing school boards with $1.4 billion in funding to renew and maintain existing schools.

• The governments of Canada and Ontario are providing $656.5 million in funding for critical infrastructure projects to protect students and staff from COVID-19 in the province’s schools through the COVID-19 Resilience stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

• The federal government provides 2.5 per cent of the total cost support for early learning and child care operating expenses in Ontario, with Ontario families, the provincial and municipal governments providing the remainder.

• Ontario is providing a 20 percent enhancement of the Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses (CARE) tax credit for 2021. This will increase support from $1,250 to $1,500 per family, on average, providing about $75 million in additional support for the 2021 child care expenses of over 300,000 families.