Ontario Government Building New School in Toronto
Province gives approval to proceed to tender for the new St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School
As part of Ontario’s ongoing efforts to build and improve local schools and create new licenced child care spaces, the province has provided the Toronto Catholic District School Board with approval to proceed to tender for the replacement of St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School in Toronto. Supported by an investment of $25.3 million, including $11 million in additional funding, this announcement is a crucial step towards ensuring that students have access to a state-of-the-art learning environment where they can learn and thrive.
“This milestone to build the new St. Fidelis Catholic School is great news for students and families in York South-Weston and represents our government’s commitment to investing in students and their future, here in our community, and right across Ontario,” said Michael Ford, MPP for York South-Weston. “This project when completed will create hundreds of new pupil and child care spaces that will ensure students and parents benefit from a modern, high-quality learning environment in addition to affordable child care for years to come.”
Once completed, the new St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School will deliver 649 student spaces, 49 new child care spaces and 3 new child care rooms. The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to provide $14 billion to support school construction, repair, and renewal over 10 years. Since 2018, the government has approved nearly 200 school construction projects and the development of more than 300 child care and education building-related projects, of which, more than 100 are actively under construction.
“Our government is investing $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. “By building the new state-of-the-art St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School in Toronto, as well as investing in tutoring and mental health supports for the year ahead, we are getting students back on track now and well into the future. While we make progress building this new school to support hard-working parents, we remain committed to keeping students in more normal classrooms with extra curriculars, sports, and clubs.”
The Government of Ontario is delivering more than $26.6 billion in education funding for the 2022-23 school year, which is the highest investment in public education in Ontario’s history. Investing in the province’s schools is an integral part of Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up, which is squarely focused on the priorities of parents and includes five key components:
- Kids being back in the classroom, with a full school experience that includes extracurriculars like sports, band and field trips;
- Investing more than $175 million for enhanced tutoring support programs delivered by school boards and community partners, with a focus on reading, writing and math;
- Updating the curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, including opportunities in the skilled trades;
- Providing more money to build schools and improve education; and
- Allocating $90 million – the highest amount in Ontario history, and a 420 per cent increase from 2017-18 – to support student mental health.
“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 $148 billion over the next decade.”
St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School will be located at 155 Falstaff Avenue in Toronto.
Quick Facts:
- Once completed, the new St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School will deliver 649 student spaces, 49 new child care spaces and 3 new child care rooms.
- 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.
Debora Pak
Office of Michael Ford, MPP for York South-Weston
michael.ford@pc.ola.org | |