Province gives update on school capital projects
In the tri-counties two new school projects continue to progress and a skilled trades centre will be built
Ongoing new school projects and a renovation for a skilled trades centre are part of the province’s school capital plan for the tricounty region.
Under the overall provincial plan there will be 12 projects in 11 communities across the province over the next five years. The total investment for all of the new projects is estimated to be at $85 million.
"New schools or major renovations are significant for our communities," said Zach Churchill, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. "We can address enrolment pressures or needed repairs and introduce new program options for students. I'm pleased to say that five new skilled trade centres will be added to schools in communities across Nova Scotia."
One of those trade centres will be built at École secondaire de Par-en-Bas in Tusket, Yarmouth County. The others are being built at schools in New Glasgow, Liverpool, Antigonish and Inverness.
The tri-county region already saw a trade centre constructed at the Digby Regional High School – a first for the region – and Churchill is pleased to see more centres being added.
“Digby was the beginning. We know we have a labour shortage of skilled trades people in the province. We know those jobs are going to continue to be in high demand. The traded are great options for kids to learn about early on in their career decisions,” he said. “Building new, modern, skilled trade centres with carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical capacity, etc., is a really important way that way can enhance our education system.”
The province’s francophone school board, the CSAP, is also pleased to see a trades centre coming to École Par-en-Bas, along with the announcement of other capital projects for CSAP schools in other parts of the province.
“CSAP will continue to work with the education department to meet the needs of its evergrowing school community and continue its mission to provide top quality French education while contributing to the overall development and construction of the identity of his students in an Acadian and francophone context,” the board stated in a media release. Across the province the CSAP has 21 schools and 19 preschool sites.
Two of the ongoing school projects that are listed in the province’s capital plan also involve CSAP schools. They are new elementary schools to be constructed in Wedgeport and Clare. Both have 2021-22 listed as the completion timeline on the capital projects list.
Asked for an update on the status of those projects, Churchill said there has been a site identified by the community in Wedgeport and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) is investigating options to acquire the site.
“In Wedgeport there is land adjacent to the school, the current site, that the community is interested in. We don’t own the land so TIR is investigating whether that is a possibility or not. But that’s the preferred site that’s been identified by the community.”
In terms of Clare, sites are still also being identified by the province, the CSAP says.