MPP Donna Skelly and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced the construction of a new elementary school in Waterdown during a press conference at
Waterdown District High School this morning (April 12).
Skelly revealed that $31.2 million was being invested into the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) to build the new Waterdown Bay Elementary School at Skinner Road East and Great Falls Boulevard in east Waterdown, and to expand Mount Hope Elementary School.
“Families deserve modern schools that are close to home,” Lecce said. “It’s critically important that we build new schools and expansions faster, especially in rapidly growing communities.”
The funding is one piece of a $1.3-billion investment, the largest in Ontario history for building schools, which is part of the Capital Priorities Program announced in August 2023 to reduce accommodation pressures across the province.
“For years our families have witnessed the crushing impact of schools bursting with students, a weight ultimately felt by our students,” Graeme Noble, trustee for ward 15, said. “They deserve a place to learn and thrive and, after years of deliberation, it sounds like our call has been rightly answered and our funding proposal approved.”
The new school will create 504 student spaces for children ranging from kindergarten to Grade 8, and the expansion to Mount Hope Elementary will be adding 178 spots for students in the same age range. Each school will also have 88 licensed child care spaces provided, or five child care rooms each.
“Young students will benefit as they learn in modern schools,” Skelly said. “They get students back to basics with hands-on learning, to be better prepared for the jobs of the future. The investment that I’m highlighting here today demonstrates our commitment to ensure that our children are able to learn and play in safe spaces.”
Both projects are designed to match the increasing size of communities across Ontario and to keep future population increases in mind.
“At a macro level, it speaks to the pressure on enrolment,” Lecce said. “There’s a lot of community growth, the community is being built as we speak. What we’re trying to do is keep up on growth and, for the first time in a long time, think ahead to plan for growth.”
The expansion to Mount Hope Elementary is slated to be completed on Feb. 27 2027, while the construction of Waterdown Bay Elementary was given a Sept. 27 2027 delivery date.
