VAUGHAN — Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, Michael Tibollo, MPP for Vaughan‑Woodbridge, Laura Smith, MPP for Thornhill, and Natalia Kusendova, Parliamentary Assistant for the Minister of Franocphone celebrated the ground-breaking of a new state of the art secondary school at 200 Aberdeen Avenue in Vaughan.
This new school build project is part of Ontario's ongoing efforts to upgrade, build and replace aging schools with a historic commitment of more than $14 billion over the next ten years. To get construction underway, Ontario’s taxpayers provided the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir with almost $24 million to build this new replacement school, creating 407 pupil spaces and three childcare rooms with 49 new childcare spaces.
Making sure our students are in classrooms, getting the support and guidance they need is integral, and is a key plank of Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up. Students need to be in schools that have the facilities to enable a full educational experience – with access to extracurriculars, clubs, music and arts. Modern classrooms, like the ones being built today give students the support and tools they need to prepare themselves for post-secondary education and the jobs of tomorrow.
That’s why the Government of Ontario is funding education at record levels, with more than $26.6 billion for the 2022‑23 school year - the largest investment in public education in Ontario’s history. This ensures students have the tutoring support they need to bridge the gap from COVID and distance-learning, and making sure our young people are able to access the mental health care they need.
Today’s exciting construction builds upon an impressive record of success. Since 2018, Ontario’s government has approved nearly 200 school construction projects and development of more than 300 child care and education building-related projects, with more than 100 already under active construction.
“We are investing in a brighter tomorrow by spending $14 billion over ten years to build new schools, improve existing facilities and create child care spaces to ensure young people can reach their full potential," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “With this historic funding, people across the province are seeing new schools built, while we’re investing in tutoring and mental health supports so students in Vaughan and across Ontario can get back on track. While this government will continue to upgrade and build new schools, it is equally important that students are able to be in their classrooms, learning every day. Ontario’s government is committed to making sure they are able to do so.”
“I’m proud of our government’s investment of nearly $24 million to build a new state-of-the-art French-language secondary school that will benefit students and build the skills they need for the jobs of the future,” said Michael Tibollo, MPP for Vaughan-Woodbridge. “Our government is making French-language education a priority with a focus on student mental health, as well as ensuring families have access to affordable and accessible child care.”
“We thank the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Government of Canada for making possible the construction of this new French-language Catholic high school with daycare facilities. A first for Csc MonAvenir!”
–Geneviève Grenier, Chair of Csc MonAvenir
“French-language Catholic schools in York region have been growing steadily for many years. This school facility will meet a pressing need for the local francophone community.”
–Maxime Papillon, Trustee, York Region
Quick Facts:
Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested over $2.0 billion in capital projects in education, including 100 new schools, 88 additions and renovations to existing facilities and 6,410 new licensed child care spaces.
For 2022-23, the province is providing school boards with $1.4 billion in funding to renew and maintain existing schools.
Through the COVID-19 Resilience stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, 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.
In March 2022, the Governments of Canada and Ontario signed a $13.2 billion agreement that will lower child care fees in stages for families, delivering an average of $10 a day child care by September 2025.
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