Ontario Government Announces Funding to Provide New Catholic Elementary School and Additional Pupil Spaces in Oshawa

The Ontario Government is investing $31.0 million to provide additional pupil spaces in Oshawa. This funding will provide a new Catholic elementary school in north Oshawa and will expand St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Elementary School in Oshawa. This investment in Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and MPP for Durham, Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MPP for Whitby, and Patrice Barnes, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and MPP for Ajax, will support the creation of 760 student spaces as part of the government’s commitment to building modern schools for Ontario youth.

The projects are part of a $1.3 billion investment to support new school construction and expansions to existing schools, including child care spaces, announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, as part of the Capital Priorities Program.

The overall investment, which is the highest ever made in a single year, supports the creation of more than 27,000 new student spaces and more than 1,700 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.

“Our government is more than doubling the funding to build new schools, which represents the single largest investment in school building in Ontario history,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We are stepping up with a massive investment to build the homes, schools, and communities our province needs, and to ensure children have access to state-of-the-art schools close to home that give them real life and job skills to succeed in the future. I want to reiterate my thanks to MPP Todd McCarthy for his relentless advocacy for local families.”

“Today’s announcement is great news for our community and demonstrates our government’s commitment to ensure our children are able to learn and play in safe spaces that will help them to reach their full potential both now and into the future” said Todd McCarthy, MPP for Durham. “Young students attending the new Kedron #1 Catholic elementary school and the expanded St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School will benefit as they learn in modern schools that get students back-to-basics with hands-on learning to be better prepared for the jobs of the future.”

Highlights of the projects include:

• A 138-pupil, six-classroom addition to St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School to address accommodation pressure in Oshawa.
• A new 622 pupil place Catholic elementary school to address accommodation pressure in the Kedron development area of north Oshawa.

“Our sincere thanks to the Province of Ontario and Ministry of Education, the Honourable Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, the Honourable Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and MPP for Durham, Mr. Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MPP for Whitby, and Ms. Patrice Barnes, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and MPP for Ajax, for this wonderful news for Catholic education,” said Monique Forster, Chair of the Durham Catholic District School Board. “The six-classroom addition to St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School and new unnamed Catholic elementary school will allow us to address the population growth and continue to serve our students and families in north Oshawa.”

Quick Facts:

• A $27.6 million investment will support a new Kedron #1 Catholic elementary school in Oshawa.
• A $3.4 million investment will support an addition to the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School located in Oshawa.