Alberta Announces Funding for 25 School Projects

By Lisa Kopochinski

CALGARY, Alberta—Late last year, government officials gathered in Alberta to announce plans for 25 new school projects, including the construction of 15 new schools.

According the CTV News, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said the 25 school projects will be supported under the provincial government’s Budget 2019 Capital Plan.

With a funding commitment of nearly $400 million, new high schools will be built in in Calgary, Edmonton, Leduc, Blackfalds and Langdon.

“On behalf of Premier Kenney and my government colleagues, I am honored to be here at Nose Creek School to announce the funding for full construction of a new high school for north Calgary,” said LaGrange.

This announcement made residents extremely happy as this community was desperately in need of a high school, said Ian McAnerin, a parent in the neighborhood.

“It’s about time, it’s over time, the thing is it’s going to be full the day it opens, so it’s past due actually.”

McAnerin told local media that when he moved into the area 21 years ago, there was talk then of a new high school, but it continually got put on the back burner by provincial officials. Now, he’s happy for parents of young children in the community and surrounding areas who won’t have to face the same bussing issues he and his children did.

Kasia Gajewska—whose own son will probably not benefit from the new school—was an advocate for a new high school and worked hard for years to make this a reality. Her advice to others included, “Stick to it. You know your need; you know your neighborhood [and] your community. Be persistent, go for it, it can sometimes take up to 15 years. I hope it doesn’t, but stick to it.”

The province expects construction on this new high school in Coventry Hills to be finished within two years to three years.

The list of new schools for the province includes:

  • K-4 Calgary Board of Education elementary school in Auburn Bay (Calgary)
  • Grade 5-9 Calgary Board of Education middle school in Auburn Bay (Calgary)
  • Calgary Board of Education high school in north Calgary
  • K-9 Calgary Catholic School District elementary/junior high school (Cochrane)
  • New Grade 7-12 Rocky View Schools junior/senior high school (Langdon)
  • Grade 6-9 Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools middle school (Red Deer)
  • Wolf Creek Public Schools high school (Blackfalds)
  • Grade 10-12 Edmonton Public Schools high school in southeast Edmonton
  • K-9 Edmonton Public Schools elementary/junior high (Windermere/Keswick)
  • Grade 10-12 Edmonton Catholic Schools high school in Heritage Valley Town Center (Edmonton)
  • K-9 Edmonton Catholic Schools elementary/junior high (Windermere/Keswick)
  • K-12 Conseil Scolaire Centre Nord school (Beaumont)
  • Grade10-12 Black Gold School Division high school (Leduc)
  • K-9 Conseil Scolaire Centre Nord elementary/junior high (Legal)
  • K-3 Living Waters Catholic Schools elementary school (Whitecourt)