Potential sale of school lands called a ‘declaration of war’

A public school board plan to sever and potentially sell 11 acres of green space surrounding Ancaster High School is being called a “declaration of war” by the local councillor.

On Wednesday, chair Todd White confirmed to city councillors that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has decided to sever and potentially sell 11 acres from the 43-acre property at the school.

The city would have an early opportunity to buy the land, but market value estimates for such a purchase range between $11 million and $15 million.

Ancaster’s Coun. Lloyd Ferguson publicly condemned the move and vowed to fight it, calling it a “downloading of the cost of education” on the city.

“Taxpayers have already paid for that property once,” he said at a general issues committee meeting, later suggesting the move to sell to the city but retain effective use of the green space is close to “a scam.”

The property, one of the school board’s largest, also holds 10 soccer fields used by students as well as residents and community groups.

White said he understood the move would be contentious, but noted the funding-starved school board is re-evaluating its properties throughout the city.

No other school “is even close” to having 43 acres attached, he said, pointing to the stadium precinct school under construction on 1.5 acres.

White said the board could have decided to sever up to 22 acres, but tried to come up with a “fair” compromise that would not put undue hardship “on a particular community.”

“We know this puts council in a difficult position,” said White, who noted that was part of the thinking behind a recent board decision to offer the city the chance to spread future payments for school property purchases over several years.

While the board has voted to sever the property, it will need a municipal sign-off on that application.