Toronto Area Schools Benefit from Repairs and Upgrades

Toronto Area Schools Benefit from Repairs and Upgrades

Toronto, ON – August 29th 2016

Students in Toronto will start the school year with better buildings for better learning as a result of extensive repairs and renewal work over the summer by local school boards.

In June, the Ontario government increased its two-year investment in local repair and renewal to $686 million over the next two years – an increase of $297 million. A few examples of recent work that is improving the quality of Toronto’s schools include repair and renewal to:

• Windows, barrier-free washrooms and painting at Dublin Heights Elementary School
• Brick work, roofing and flooring at George Harvey Collegiate Institute
• Boiler and painting at Rockford Public School
• HVAC, windows and play area at Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School
• Structural components and windows at Bruce Junior Public School
• Access control systems at All Saints Catholic School
• Recreational fields, including new top soil and upgraded irrigation at Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School
• Exterior walls, asphalt and fields at Blessed Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School
• Walls and auditorium at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
• Fire alarm systems at St. Demetrius Catholic School.

Across the province, Ontario increased its investment in school repair and renewal by $1.1 billion, bringing its total funding to $2.7 billion over the next two years to improve school conditions. This is estimated to benefit more than 2,100 schools with repair and renewal projects valued at $100,000 or more – in addition to many other smaller projects.

These projects – in Toronto and throughout Ontario – are part of the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province’s history – about $160 billion over 12 years, which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across Ontario.

Investing in better schools for better learning is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario’s history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

“Every student deserves a safe, modern and healthy learning environment, because better buildings mean better student achievement and well-being. That is why our government made such a historic investment in repair and renewal, and why school boards have worked so hard over the summer to turn our investment into results for Ontario’s students.” Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education

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