The Provincial government provided the Grand Erie District School Board with approval to issue the tender for the new Southwest Brantford Public Elementary School on Monday, June 24, 2024.
Some of the youngest residents of West Brant sunk shovels into the ground to officially kick off construction on a joint-use project between Grand Erie District School Board, the City of Brantford and the Brantford Public Library at a site which will include an elementary school, recreation centre, public library and other amenities to serve the growing community. The space will also include a 24-acre park, sports fields, meeting spaces and walking paths.
The groundbreaking event, held at the corner of Shellard Lane and Strickland Ave, included Indigenous opening and closing addresses, remarks from staff members representing each partnering organization, Milan Novakovic on behalf of MPP Will Bouma and members of Brantford City Council including Mayor Kevin Davis, Councillor Rose Sicoli, Councillor Michael Sullivan, Councillor Mandy Samwell and Councillor Gino Caputo.
The project is supported by a provincial investment of $67.1 million which includes additional funding of $24.7 million.
Once completed, this project will deliver 650 elementary student spaces and 64 licensed child care spaces for local families. The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to providing about $16 billion to support school construction, renewal and improvement over 10 years. Since 2018, the government has approved or supported the development of over 300 school-related projects including child care, of which more than 100 are actively under construction.
“The funding for a new Southwest Brantford (Shellard Lane) Public Elementary School in Brantford is great news for our community,” said Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford—Brant. “This investment will ensure families and students have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead.”
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, 2023 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.
“As a father, I understand that the local school really is the heart of the community, and that it’s so important for young families to have a school that’s close to home,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Education. “Our government is listening to hard-working moms and dads, which is why we are delivering a new, state-of-the-art Southwest Brantford (Shellard Lane) Public Elementary School for Brantford families, along with increasing funding, staffing and a back-to-basics focus on reading, writing and math to help ensure students graduate with the fundamental skills they need to succeed.”
“Breaking ground on a new school and community hub marks an exciting start to what will be a multi-faceted space to learn, grow and be inspired,” said Susan Gibson, Chair, Grand Erie District School Board. “Thanks to funding from the Ministry of Education and this partnership with the City of Brantford and the Brantford Public Library, we’re laying the foundation for a community asset that will serve generations to come.”
“This project has been a partnership in the truest sense of the word, and thanks to a lot of cooperation and collaboration, we’re achieving something greater than the sum of its parts,” said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education, Grand Erie District School Board. “Our thanks to the community partners and the Ministry of Education for sharing in this collective vision of what’s possible.”
Highlights of the project include:
- 650 new student spaces
- 4 new child care rooms (64 new child care spaces)
“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we’re 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’re ensuring students have access to the quality education that will provide them with lifelong skills and education in a safe and healthy environment,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These investments are one of the ways we’re delivering on our promise to build Ontario, with an infrastructure budget of more than $190 billion over the next decade.”
