Ontario launching Rapid Build Pilot to build new schools, more affordable childcare spaces

Representative image of Child care center. Image credit: Unsplash/ Zoo_Monkey

Oakville/CMEDIA: A joint announcement was made by Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Education, Effie Triantafilopoulos, MPP for Oakville North Burlington about a $500 million investment by the Ontario government as part of the 2022-2023 Capital Priorities Program to support 37 school projects, including 23 with child care projects, across the province.

“We are building new schools, building more affordable child care spaces, and building hope and opportunity for Ontario students as they…deserve to learn in-person in state-of-the-art facilities that are internet-connected, accessible, with modern ventilation systems…that accelerates construction to get it done for parents, students, and communities,” said Stephen Lecce in a news release.

The newly approved Capital Priorities Program project will facilitate the creation of nearly 15,700 new student spaces and just over 1,500 new licensed child care spaces in schools, announced Dr. David R. Williams Public School in Oakville.

The Halton District School Board will be the recipient of nearly $24 million from the Capital Priorities Program to build a new public elementary school for the new development in the northeast community of Oakville.

More than 300 child care and education building-related projects are currently in development across Ontario with more than 100 actively under construction.

In addition, the Ontario government will partner with Infrastructure Ontario and several school boards that were selected from the 2021-22 round of Capital Priorities to drive forward innovative solutions for accelerated school construction through a Rapid Build pilot.

Infrastructure Ontario’s rapid procurement and delivery expertise, by the potential to use modular construction methodologies, would be leveraged by the Rapid Built pilot to identify opportunities for projects in shorter periods of time so that students can take advantage of new and updated schools sooner.

The five schools selected for the pilot are:

  • New Northglen Neighbourhood School – Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
  • New Centre Wellington Elementary School – Upper Grand District School Board
  • École élémentaire catholique Saint-Viateur Addition – Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien
  • St. Mary Catholic Elementary School Addition – Northwest Catholic District School Board
  • J. J. O’Neill Catholic Elementary School Addition – Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board

#Ontario; #RapidBuildPilot; #NewSchools; #ChildcareSpaces