14 Edmonton-area school projects will happen ‘as quickly as possible’: Minister – Edmonton

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the 14 new school projects the Alberta government outlined for the Edmonton region in the 2025 budget will be completed as fast as possible.

“I know many of these projects were needed yesterday,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday held at St. Brendan Catholic Elementary/Junior High School in east Edmonton.

“Edmonton is one of the fastest-growing cities and communities in all of Canada, and the need for space is urgent. I’m confident that these new school investments will help address the challenges of growing enrolment.”

The capital plan in the provincial government’s most recent budget allocates $75 million over the next three years for the planning and design of the 41 school capital projects approved in 2025 and $2.3 billion to building and updating previously announced school projects.

The projects are a mix of new builds, modernizations and expansions to existing schools.

If the 2025 budget is passed, the following new school projects in the Edmonton area will receive funding:

Design funding

• New K-6 Edmonton public school in the community of Hawks Ridge (northwest)
• Addition to Dr. Anne Anderson High School, which is an Edmonton public school (southwest)
• Acquisition and modernization of property leased by the charter school Edmonton Classical Academy for K-12 students
• Replacement school for École Morinville Public School

Planning funding 

• New Edmonton public high school in Castle Downs (north side)
• New Edmonton public high school in The Grange (west end)
• New Edmonton public elementary school in Silver Berry (southeast)
• New Catholic high school in Lewis Farms (west end)
• New Catholic high school in The Meadows (southeast)
• Replacement Edmonton Catholic school for St. Lucy Elementary and Katherine Therrien schools (northwest)
• New francophone K-6 school in Haddow/Henderson (southwest), which will be part of the Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2
• New Catholic high school in Beaumont, which will be part of St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 38
• New public high school in Beaumont, which will be part of the Black Gold School division
• New public K-9 school in St. Albert’s Chérot neighbourhood

Nicolaides noted the projects will be part of the Alberta’s school construction accelerator program. The provincial government’s website notes that the program streamlines the construction process for schools.

“Funding for projects that are ready to proceed to the next step can be approved without having to wait for the next budget cycle, saving valuable time for Albertans,” the website says.

“Through the school construction accelerator program, and announcements like today, we see board advocacy and collaboration with government at work,” said Julie Kusiek, the chair of the Edmonton Public School Board.

“While all of these schools are needed for our growing student population … high school space is at a premium right now.”

In Edmonton, rising enrolment numbers are significant. According to officials with Edmonton Public Schools, that school division is adding an average of 5,000 students per year and it expects to be at or over 100 per cent capacity at its high schools within the next two years.

Officials with the Edmonton Catholic School District said that school division is currently short about 1,000 high school spaces.

“With nearly every high school in Edmonton Catholic overcapacity, this announcement is a critical step towards ensuring our students have the space that they need to succeed and mitigate the overcrowding that results in strained resources,” said Sandra Palazzo, the chair of the ECSD.

— with files from Erik Bay, Global News

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