Ontario Building New School in Kemptville
Province supports the creation of new student and child care spaces at École élémentaire et secondaire catholique Notre-Dame
The Ontario government is investing $14.9 million in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est for a new École élémentaire et secondaire catholique Notre-Dame, also known as Académie catholique Notre-Dame, to help working families in Kemptville. This investment, announced by Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, will support the creation of 417 student spaces and 39 licensed child care spaces as part of the Ford Government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art schools for Ontario youth.
The project is part of a provincewide investment of nearly $500 million to support new school and child care spaces that were recently announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. The overall investment will support the creation of 37 school related projects which include 23 child care centres. This funding will add nearly 15,700 new student spaces and 1,502 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.
“We are building new schools, building more affordable child care spaces, and building hope and opportunity for Ontario students as they learn in more normal and safer classrooms,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We believe that students deserve to learn in-person in state-of-the-art facilities that are internet connected, accessible, with modern ventilation systems, which is why our government is delivering a major investment that accelerates construction to get it done for parents, students, and communities.”
The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to provide $14 billion to support school construction over ten years. Since 2018, the government has approved nearly 200 new projects and there are currently more than 300 child care and education building-related projects in development, with more than 100 actively under construction.
“By building the new École élémentaire et secondaire catholique Notre-Dame we are delivering for families, students and the entire community,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “This investment will provide choice and flexibility for families and new opportunities for the children of Kemptville to reach their full potential.”
Highlights of the project include:
- 417 JK – grade 12 student spaces.
- 39 new licensed child care spaces.
- 2 new child care rooms.
“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, our government is delivering more schools across the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families and growing communities. By cutting red tape and introducing the Rapid Build pilot project to expedite procurement and construction processes to build better schools faster, we’re ensuring that students reap the benefits of state-of-the-art learning facilities sooner and have access to education in a safe and healthy environment.” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These investments are just one of the ways we’re building critical infrastructure – such as schools, hospitals, long-term care homes and public transit – that Ontarians rely on with a budget over $148 billion over the next decade.”
“We are pleased to see that Conseils des école Catholique du Centre-Est de l’Ontario will now have the means to further strengthen its presence in North Grenville and beyond. Ensuring that parents can choose high quality, French language education for their children in this region is vitally important,” emphasized North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford.
“I would like to thank the Government of Ontario for this funding which will offer a better learning environment for students of Académie catholique Notre-Dame,” said Johanne Lacombe, Chair of the CECCE. “This investment demonstrates that the government has the interests of the Francophone community of Kemptville at heart and that it considers it essential that the region’s students have access to a first-rate education in French.”
Marc Bertrand, Director of Education, adds: “Académie catholique Notre-Dame is a school that generates a great deal of pride in the community, particularly because of its innovative programs that allow students to develop to their full potential. The CECCE is very pleased with this investment and looks forward to working with the various levels of government for the betterment of this school.”
Quick Facts:
- For 2022-23, 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.